Fighting Smart
by Jiu-jitsu dude
Summary: Winter: You want to be a player and not a piece? Start thinking like one. Being mean isn't enough, you have to use your head. You need to fight smart. Art courtesy of CHE3ZY.
1. Prologue

**You didn't think we'd leave you, did you?**

 **Thank Cr00cy for readability**

 **W.S. Quote Book says:** "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, will make violent revolution inevitable" - JFK

 **W.S. Playlist says:** "They say sorry son accept it, same old song of the subjectors

Sorry sirs, but we don't sing along to anthems or your pledges

In your garbage rose the rulers of the restless, do not test us" – Run the Jewels, "Rubble Kings."

* * *

 **Ferdinand**

Sergeant Thomas leaned back against the side of the bullhead, listening to the hum of the engines of the Atlas military craft flying low over the soft, green earth, eating up kilometer after kilometer of distance as they approached their destination.

Inside was the familiar sound of the various pieces of equipment jingling, the boots of a dozen men shuffling, weapons being checked…and, of course, a VERY familiar debate.

"I fucking HATE this shit man." Blaine said.

If he'd heard this speech once, he'd heard it a hundred times.

"This should be a night mission, but here we are, rocketing along in broad daylight, like a damn pleasure liner." Blaine made a dramatic sweep with his arm. "Our asses out for everyone to see, and do you know why?"

"No, but I'm sure you're going to tell us." Dominic quipped from beside Blaine.

"Is it faunus?" King asked knowingly from across the craft.

Blaine pointed at him. "It's cause fucking faunus man!" He then held out an apologetic hand to the snake faunus sitting opposite him. "No offense Copper, you're cool."

Copper shook his head. "None taken. Also, you're an asshole."

"Doesn't mean I'm wrong."

"Maybe we should stop picking fights with people with night-vision then." King offered. "Or at least tell security forces to stop beating the hell out of them at wage riots."

Blaine pointed a thumb at his chest. "Hey man, I don't set the wages. I'm just here, trying to help Irondaddy fulfill his destiny of world domination."

"Preach!" Came from somewhere else in the craft.

Dominic chuckled. "Everybody's got a dream."

"Seriously though, you think he's going to be there? Ferdinand?" King asked.

"I hope so. I got a lady waiting for me back home, ready to wrap this shit up." Blaine responded.

Dom shrugged. "Who knows? It'll either be us that gets him, or the Specialist's team at site one. How about it Copper, is he going to be there?"

The young man stroked his chin. "You know, he said something about it at our card game last week – How the fuck would I know? We don't hang out."

"Ugh," King let out. "Then what good are you?"

"I believe I keep your dumbasses alive."

"Yeah, there is that."

Thomas sighed and smiled.

It was almost like a bad comedy routine at this point, but there was some strange comfort in the sense of normalcy it brought.

A voice crackled over his earpiece. "Hey, it's time."

He stood, grabbing a strap hanging from the ceiling for support and looked out at the team.

"Alright gentlemen, and I use that term extremely loosely, we are 'five' out. I know you're all forgetful, so let's do this one more time. We're assaulting a Fang training compound." All eyes in the craft were focused on him.

"Intel says-" There were a few chuckles from around the craft.

"Hey, I get it, but they're telling us that Ferdinand might be at the compound. This could be a big win for us if that's true, so I need your A-game. In fact, I've been told the General himself will be watching the helmet feed through the short-range comm tower, so let's try to get this right."

There were nods from around the craft.

"The pilots are putting us down in the South end of the compound, Bravo will be coming in from the North. This is going to be an in-and-out job, we're not sticking around to set up shop." He let his gaze sweep over them once more. "You are weapons free as soon as we touchdown, there are no friends of Atlas in that compound."

The ramp door came open, and the tail gunner began to set up his minigun. It would start soon.

* * *

20 kilometers away, another set of bullheads were closing in on another compound, The occupants looking towards their team lead, for final instructions.

Specialist Winter Schnee met their gaze.

"We've run this a dozen times before, nothing changes because of who it is. Stay behind me, cover the flanks, call out Aura threats, and come home. Simple as that."

A man raised a hand.

She sighed. "What Stevens?"

"How are we going to live with the embarrassment if the guys at site two bag this dude?" He asked, eliciting a few chuckles from the group.

She smirked. "I don't intend to find out, I've been told that this is the primary location, he'll be here." She paused. "But on the off chance they do get him, I was planning on blaming you."

"Ma'am, how could you?" Stevens mock gasped.

More laughs erupted from the team.

A voice in her ear informed her that they were coming around.

"It's time gentleman, let's do this."

* * *

The bullshitting from earlier was gone, replaced by silent checks and quiet rituals.

The bullhead lurched as it began to circle the compound, angling to give the gunner what he needed. The gun whirled to life as it began to rake over plain brown and tan rooftops, ensuring as few surprises as possible when they landed.

He could hear the aircraft sigh and shift as they began the last part of their descent, and each man stood at the ready. It had barely kissed the ground when they poured out, quickly encircling the aircraft with weapons trained in all directions.

The bullhead roared again as it emptied, taking back to the skies and beginning its circling once more, waiting for their call.

Thomas motioned towards the designated building, and Copper took his familiar place at the head of their column, pointed straight ahead and moving with deadly purpose. The rest of the team fell in line, weapons pointing out like a phalanx, scanning over every door and window of the small two-story buildings that surrounded them on their way to the objective, Blaine making regular turns to watch their backs as he brought up the rear.

They flowed through the small corridor of buildings a steady pace, hugging the right side of the path, till they heard the frantic and familiar cracks of rifle fire.

Bravo was engaging someone.

* * *

Winter left the bullhead well in advance of it landing.

Aura had its advantages, regardless of what her team was willing to admit.

She bent her knees and rolled as she landed, dispersing the impact and coming up with her blade at the ready.

No one was in sight, so she quickly moved around the perimeter, scanning for potential threats as the craft circled for its landing.

"Dammit ma'am, we talked about this." A voice crackled in her earpiece.

"Talk to me when you can take a round to the chest Robin."

"I mean, I can take the one. It's the 'still be breathing afterwards' part I struggle with."

She shook her head as the bullhead landed and the team poured out, setting up a defensive formation.

She nodded to them as the craft began lifting off, and they fell in behind her.

Winter held her speed in check as they moved in a file down further into the compound. Ghostly white birds flowed off of her, darting forward and upwards to scan the buildings in their path, helping to prevent any surprises.

Her men scanned everywhere else, combing over each building and corner with their rifles. They were her extra eyes and ears, and she was their shield.

A flash of understanding flowed through her, and they shifted direction.

Her birds had found something.

* * *

Thomas nodded to Copper, and their pace increased. Soon, the structure recognized from dozens of photos poured over during planning came into view, and with it, the first of the Fang. A handful of members garbed in the familiar white and black, guarding the rear entrance of the building.

Copper's rifle spoke, and they were one fewer. The rest of the team joined in the chorus, and the entryway stood clear.

They stacked along the door, forming a neat file ready to pour through the building, and each man prepared himself as silent taps of readiness made their way up and down the file. When the final one reached Copper, they moved.

The flashbang rocked the men and women inside the building as Alpha team flowed through the door, rifles up and alight as they covered every corner and swept every hiding place. The Fang simply wasn't ready for the ferocity of the assault.

Room after room fell along with their occupants as Alpha made their way ever inward, forcing their way closer to their target, to their prize.

They reached the center of the building, pressing themselves against the wall just outside of the largest room seen on the floor plans. Intel speculated it might have been an assembly area or chow hall. Whatever it might have been, Thomas was sure that it was about to become a battlefield.

* * *

Winter's white Beowolf hit the front door of the target building like a hurricane, battering it off its hinges and immediately engaging the Fang inside.

She followed directly after it, using her shorter blade to deflect stray shots away from the team, as she cut a path through the room with her saber.

Stevens and Robin were already shooting over her shoulder.

She ducked into the room on the right, taking point again. Her Beowolf did the same on the left, the team splitting and following them.

Like a flood, they washed the Fang from each room in their path, sweeping through the building with brutal, practiced efficiency.

Then, she reached it, the door to the room that had been designated on the mission plans.

Stevens fell back in as his team reached hers, the white Beowolf that had been leading them began to dissolve into nothingness.

She braced against the wall on the side of the door, and waited for her teams to form up.

Then, they breached.

* * *

One more signal, and Copper led the team through the door.

They swept through the room like a storm, ready to engage, ready to respond to any and all threats.

Only silence met them.

And the bodies.

Bravo team lay scattered around the room in pieces, their limbs both cleanly severed and ripped apart by some unknown force.

Thomas felt his stomach drop as the silence, and dread, persisted.

It was then that he felt, not heard, Blaine die.

A spray of arterial blood coming from the entrance that the man had been guarding came into contact with his face, and a black shape stood over Blaine's body.

He raised his rifle and fired.

All memory of the silence fled, as the room became a cacophony of weapons, screaming, and the sickening sound of something cleaving into meat.

The team desperately tried to track their target, their fire always a step behind the form as it leapt from man to man, ending their lives with flashes of steel and the thundering boom of shotgun blasts.

One after another, the team fell. Dominic followed King, who joined Daniels, who fell beside Samson, till only he and Copper remained standing. A load of buckshot crashing into the plates in his chest quickly remedied that.

As he fought for breath, he managed to raise his head enough to watch as the form impaled Copper on its blade.

"Traitor." It spoke for the first time as it allowed snake faunus to fall to the floor.

Its gaze fell back on him as his bruised chest spasmed, and he let out a cough.

"A survivor." It drawled, crossing the room towards him. "Is he watching?"

"Fuck you."

He screamed as the form's blade sunk into his calf. "I'll take that as a yes."

Adam Taurus stared through Thomas, into the camera in his helmet and the man watching beyond it.

"Hello General. I do hope you've enjoyed the show." He twisted the blade, eliciting another scream. "It was foolish of you to come here. You can't stop the fires of revolution."

He smiled humorously. "You of all people should know that, _Lion of Atlas_."

He leaned down towards Thomas, who was desperately trying to stem the bleeding.

"The White Fang will soon be stained red by the blood of Atlas. Until then, feel free to send more soldiers. I'd be happy to help them die for their country."

He stepped back and raised Wilt.

Thomas closed his eyes.

The feed went black.

Far away, in a dimly lit control room, a small group of Atlas officers watched the blank screen on the left in silence, the feed on the right showing Winter's team combing over an empty room.

The only sound in the room was the slow cracking and splintering of wood under metal fingers, as the James Ironwood squeezed the table they were seated at.

Colonel Thomas Markus watched his General silently seeth, fighting to master his rage. The other officers at the table held their breath, waiting for the explosion.

It didn't come.

"Colonel Markus." General Ironwood spoke to the dark-skinned man on his right.

He straightened. "Yes sir."

"Spin your group up, you're joining the wing at the border."

"Yes sir."

"Go. Now." He commanded.

Markus found his feet and saluted crisply, before beelining towards the door.

"Markus."

He turned.

"Hunt him down." The General growled.

Markus nodded in understanding. "We'll get him sir," and with that, he was gone.

The General took a deep breath and spoke over the comm.

"Winter."

Kilometers away, Specialist Schnee and her team stood in an empty room, feeling powerless as they searched the obviously long abandoned command center.

"Sir?"

"We were wrong, it was site two." He paused. "Alpha and Bravo are gone."

Her fist clenched, she could feel the rage bubbling up in her stomach.

It should have been them.

"Winter?" Her mentor spoke again.

"Yes sir?" She hissed.

"Find me Qrow Branwen."

* * *

 **JJD: Hey Cr00cy, we back?**

 **Cr00cy: We back.**

 **JJD: Hey folks, good to talk to you again. Full disclosure, this is a sequel to Fighting Mean, but it shouldn't be too hard to keep up with if you haven't read it.**

 **So here's the deal, we're going to revel in snark and violence, I'm going to nerd out about fighting, the author's notes are going to be way too long, we're going to talk about some heavy shit from time to time, Cr00cy is going to fight to keep me in line.**

 **If that sounds like your cup of tea, then get in, sit down, and buckle up. We've got a lot of road to cover.**

 **Cr00cy: Yeah, it's good to have this back. Initially we talked about releasing RWBY/FF crossover first, but then FS kinda… happened. Don't worry. Said crossover WILL happen - I'm not letting JJD back off on that one. When? Now that's good question.**


	2. Don't Call It A Comeback

**The response from you guys has blown me away. Thank you all.**

 **Just another reminder, this is a sequel to Fighting Mean.**

 **As always, edited by the extraordinary Cr00cy.**

 **Chapter 1: Don't call it a comeback**

* * *

 **W.S. Quote Book Says:** "Returning to the source is stillness. It is returning to one's fate. Returning to one's fate is eternal." - Lao Tzu

 **W.S. Playlist Says:** Don't call it a comeback, I been here for years.

Rocking my peers and putting suckas in fear – LL Cool J, "Momma said knock you out."

* * *

Qrow walked down the well-worn dirt road, taking in the beauty of the lush green forest that rose up on all sides. He took a deep breath, taking in the fresh scent of the pines and listening to the various bird songs.

It should have been peaceful.

If not for the horde of children following after him.

He growled as he listened the latest in a long series of inane arguments, and tried not to grind his teeth together.

"Look, all I'm saying is that dogs are objectively better than cats." The blond knight said.

"And all I'm saying is that you're both wrong, and you don't know the meaning of the word 'objectively.'" Ren retorted.

Jaune let out an exasperated sigh. "How can you say that!? Just think about all the upsides! Dogs are loyal, loving, just want to be your friend, and most importantly, useful." He ticked off.

The green ninja shook his head. "It's almost like you're describing yourself except for the last part."

"Hey! I don't hear your counter-argument!"

Ren shrugged. "Cats take care of themselves. They don't need constant supervision and affection to exist."

"Oh, you mean like Jaune-Jaune?" Nora quipped.

Qrow snorted.

A little farther behind the JNR trio, Yang leaned over to Blake. "Hey kitty-kat, you hear that? It sounds like our resident Y-chromosome ninja is a fan of cats." She grinned wider. "This could be your chance!"

The raven-haired girl's eyes flicked over to Nora's back worriedly. "Stop." She hissed.

The blonde was undeterred. "Oh Blakey, I know that you're still a little broke up about us having to split up with Sun, but it's never too early to move on."

"Sun stayed with my family to protect them during the transition." She sighed. "Also, I know what you're doing, and it's not funny."

Yang smiled as she steadily raised her voice. "What's not funny Blake? Your undying love for Ren?"

She shot a pleading look over to Ruby. "Please tell her it's not funny."

"Yang it's not funny." The red-head smiled. "It's hilarious."

The faunus girl groaned.

"You really brought this on yourself." The Schnee heiress admonished from behind her. "You've missed out on months of the ruffian's jokes."

"But I had to deal with Sun the whole time, that has to count for something!"

Yang tisked. "He's got nothing on me. I've got a list of cat-puns a mile long that I've been Yanging onto."

Blake hung her head in resignation.

Weiss patted her on the back. "There, there Blake. I'm sure you'll be able to make her… _paws_ her assault eventually." She smiled proudly.

Blake stared at her with wide eyes. "Did you…just make a pun? What happened while I was gone?"

Ruby shrugged. "It's been a weird few months."

Her sister nodded in agreement. "That's an understatement. By the way Weiss, two out of ten on that one."

"I'm trying dammit!"

Back at the head of the column, Oscar smiled at the older Hunter leading the group. "It's good to get the band back together."

"Is it though? Listening to you kids is what nails on a chalkboard would complain about-"

"-If it could talk. Yeah, yeah old man. We've heard that one about five times now, you need new material." Jaune cut in.

"What I need is a little peace and quiet." He growled. "What do you think the odds of me getting a little of that are?"

"Little to none." Nora offered.

"Exactly!" He sighed.

Oscar smirked at him. "Ozpin says you're being a baby."

The older man pointed an accusing finger at the boy. "How do I know when Oz is actually saying it, and when you're just mouthing off?"

The boy tried to look hurt. "Mr. Branwen! I was raised to respect my elders…regardless of how little they may deserve it."

Qrow glared at Jaune. "This is your fault Angst-Knight."

The blond shrugged. "Probably."

He took a lazy swipe at the boy that Jaune ducked under.

"Getting slow in your old age." He taunted. "Also, not to be that guy, but...are we there yet?"

"You've always been and always will be that guy. And yes – welcome to Atlas!" The Hunter pointed at a tree. "There's the citadel where the council sits." He pointed to another. "There's the SDC." He pointed to another. "And there's the – no, obviously we're not fucking there yet."

"But we've been walking foooorrrrreeeevvvvveeeer." Nora whined.

"I didn't settle the damn city Pinky." He ran a hand over his face. "Listen, you'll know we're close when you can see – smoke."

"Smoke?" She questioned.

Qrow pointed to a gap in the canopy of the trees, where they could see a thick column of smoke reaching up into the sky.

"Could it be a forest fire?" Ren asked, not really believing the words.

Qrow shook his head. "The smoke is the wrong color. Kid, there a town that way on the map?"

Jaune quickly scanned over the map, his fingers suddenly tightening over the edges. "Anthem." He whispered.

The seasoned Hunter nodded and turned back towards the team. "Oz, kid, I'm going to scout ahead, you bring the rest as quick as you can."

Without another word, the man morphed into his avian form, and broke through the canopy, heading towards the pillar of smoke.

Jaune's grip tightened on Crocea Mors. "Ruby."

"Yeah?"

"You, Blake, and Ren are faster than the rest of us. Can you guys split off and we'll meet you there?"

The reaper rodded. "On it. See you slow pokes there."

With that, three blurs of green, red, and black rocketed down the forest path.

Jaune looked back at the remainder of the team. "You guys ready to hoof it?"

Yang shot him a thumbs up. "After you Ladykiller."

He smiled and began running down the road, Yang, Oscar, Nora, and Weiss in tow.

Jaune Arc was many things – brave, strong, socially awkward, scraggly – but one thing he had never been accused of being was fast. Still, his legs churned as his boots crunched against the soil and leaves of the path, each stride bringing him a little closer to where they needed to be. His Aura prevented him from tiring, but it didn't make prevent him from being slow. He just hoped that this time he'd be fast enough.

* * *

It was the smell that hit them first.

A potent mix of acrid smoke, burning wood, and something that smelled all too much like cooking meat, that Ruby tried not to think too hard about.

It was the sound that hit them next.

A cacophony of screams and beastlike roars.

When the path started to widen, and the trees started to thin out, she knew they were almost there, and she put on an extra boost of speed, pulling in front her companions.

She hit the outskirts of the village first and skidded to a stop.

Chaos. That was the only word that could possibly come close to describing the scene before her, and even that fell well short.

She didn't even acknowledge when Ren and Blake came up beside her.

Her eyes scanned over the chaos trying to find where to start. Here a man was stumbling out of a burning building, here a one was clutching at a wound, here a mother was shrieking for her child – she locked onto that. Where was the child?

She found him in the madness, crying from his spot on the ground amongst the flames, frantically looking around for his mother.

He didn't even see the Ursa rearing up behind him.

She wasn't even conscious of moving, but she felt the recoil of Rose as it pressed back into her shoulder. The bullet tore into the open mouth of the Grimm, ripping its head back as the copse fell to the ground.

She covered the mother as she ran to the boy.

Blake broke her from her trance. "What's the plan Ruby?"

She looked over the burning village once more, and her heart sank. They wouldn't be enough.

"Save as many as you can."

* * *

Jaune's mind was racing as he beheld the scene before him.

The burning buildings and screams bringing flashes of another falling city, another night, another failure.

A hand slipping into his brought him back.

"Jaune," Yang whispered. "We need to move."

He nodded and squeezed her hand in thanks.

"Weiss, see if you can do something about these fires. Yang, cover her. Start at the center of the town and make your way out. Nora, Oscar, and I will try to find survivors."

All parties nodded in agreement.

Yang squeezed his hand again and gave him a smirk. "You got anything to give a girl some luck?"

He gave her a weak smile back. "I think I just might."

He closed his eyes concentrated on the familiar sensation of calling upon his Aura. He reached out to the firestar that was Yang and established the link. He swore that he could almost feel something trying to make its way back across the void, but he could think about that later.

When he opened his eyes, Yang stood before him, her Aura – their Aura, coming off her in fiery waves. She was a goddess of wrath, _his_ goddess of wrath. She flexed her hands and grinned at Weiss over her shoulder.

"Try to keep up Weiss-cream."

"As if I'd let a Xiao Long show me up." She shot back. "Don't get cocky because you have the dunce's Semblance."

Yang laughed as she took off. "Jealous much?"

Jaune shook his head as he watched them go.

Nora poked him in the ribs with Magnhild. "You ready to go Fearless Leader?"

He adjusted his shield unconsciously. "Nope."

"Sooooo, like normal then?"

He smiled at his teammate. "Like normal."

* * *

Crescent Rose clicked as Ruby emptied the magazine. She never hesitated as she shifted the weapon into its scythe form, and jumped into the melee.

Her blade spun in her hands as it sunk into the neck of a Beowolf, wrenching it free and burying it into another's stomach, causing it to double over with a groan.

She spared a glance over to Blake and Ren, both cutting through Grimm with ease, their blades felling monster after monster.

But that was part of the problem wasn't it? Both Storm Flower and Gambol Shroud had fallen silent long ago, their owners finishing what little reserves of ammunition they had left from their long journey within the first ten minutes of the conflict. Sweat was now pouring down their faces.

She decapitated another Grimm, letting its body fall to ground as she moved on to her next target, and felt her stomach sink as a fresh wave of Grimm stepped out of the wood line.

They were slowing down, but the Grimm kept coming.

* * *

Yang ripped through the Grimm ranks with an ease that she'd never known.

Everything was move vivid, more real, more in HER control.

Ember Cecilia spoke, no – roared, as it sent an Ursa flying backwards in multiple pieces. She leapt across the town square in a single bound towards a second group of Grimm, shaking the very earth they stood on as she landed in their midst. They were dead in an instant.

She turned and locked onto Weiss, feverishly fighting to keep a clear path open in the inferno for the townsfolk to flee through. She noticed that the Glyphs were becoming smaller and the inferno larger as the white-haired girl panted heavily, fighting to remain steady on her feet.

She heard a roar as more Grimm started to flood the square behind them and cocked her gauntlets.

And if her Aura glowed a little less brightly than at the beginning?

She tried to ignore it.

* * *

Jaune panted as his blade claimed another Grimm, grunting as he caught another Beowolf's claws on his shield, buckling under the strain. He threw the creature back and thrust his sword deep into the beast's chest.

He fought for breath, anxiously looking around for other threats.

 _Why the hell am I so tired?_

He caught sight of Nora laughing as she cut a swath through the Grimm, her warhammer slamming into an Ursa's knee. She pulled the trigger, sending the beast into a somersault.

He shook his head. He'd never fully understand her, but he was damn glad she was on their side.

They had managed to gather a small group of survivors that formed a small circle in-between him and Nora. Several of the men held pitiful weapons of shovels, rakes, and wood axes before them as they stood in front of their families. Oscar roved around them in a circle, looking for all the world like a sheep dog protecting his flock.

He felt a swell of pride in his chest, watching them stand before what they could not possibly overcome.

The roars of the Grimm filled his ears.

He adjusted his grip on his sword and steadied his breathing.

He could rest when he was dead.

* * *

 _We might be fucked._ Qrow thought as his scythe bisected another Grimm.

Shit was bad, he knew that, he just couldn't figure out how it had gotten so bad. Grimm attacks happened all the time out here on the frontier towns, but never on this _scale._

They were coming in wave after wave. This wasn't the standard small pack of Grimm, this was a damn incursion. Something had scared these people, scared them bad. It was the only explanation for this level of an attack.

More Ursa and Beowolves poured out of the forest, feeding on the ever-growing negativity in the small town as it fell.

The town lost, but they might be able get some of these people out of her before the town finished falling. His gaze shot upwards as he heard an all to familiar screech.

Nevermore filled the sky.

 _No, we're all going to die here._

The black cloud of Nevermore formed a funnel in the sky that slowly reached down towards the ground, spelling the end. He reloaded his blade and chambered a round.

 _It's been an…ok run._

He took aim at the largest Nevermore that he could find and wrapped his finger around the trigger.

A hail of bullets tore through the cloud of Grimm, causing them to rain down on the town in a stream of feathers and ichor. A different roar replaced that of the Grimm, the roar of the bullhead engines.

A small fleet of the aircraft started their own circle of the town, raining down bullets on the black hordes and creating a landing zone block by bloody block.

Qrow felt a wave of relief wash over him as the aircraft started to isolate and rescue pockets of civilians throughout the town.

 _We're going to make it._

Then he spotted it, a stark white craft making slow, lazy circles high above the town. He'd recognize that aircraft anywhere.

 _I kinda liked it better when we were all going to die._

* * *

As the bullhead circled around their group of townspeople, Jaune collapsed on the ground, exhausted from the day's events.

"You ok?" Nora asked as she placed a hand on his back.

He watched as the soldiers disembarking the bullhead started to guide the families into the hold, ready to take them to safety.

"Yeah, I am now."

A thickly muscled man, at least matching Jaune's own height walked towards them, his face hidden by his helmet's visor.

"You kids are crazy as fuck." He greeting amicably. "Who tries to fight an entire Grimm horde like that?"

Jaune found his feet. "We really didn't take the time to look, you know, with all the people dying."

The man held up his hands. "Easy there killer. I like your style, that took balls." He nodded over to Nora. "Or the lady equivalent of course."

She grinned at him. "I have ovaries of steel."

The man broke down laughing. "You kids are alright. What are your names?"

"I'm Jaune and this is-"

"NORA!" The pink girl cried excitedly.

The young knight shook his head. "And you are?"

The man held out a hand. "Sergeant Stevens, pleasure to meet you." He smiled when Jaune took his hand. "You kids did good."

* * *

Qrow looked around the square, watching as the rest of the team slowly started to file into the courtyard, looking beat up and exhausted. He didn't imagine that he looked any better.

Yang and Weiss reached him first.

The blonde brawler looked up to the white craft he had his eyes locked on, slowly coming in for a landing.

"Friend of yours?"

"Friend is a real strong word."

The ice princess was practically bouncing up and down with excitement.

"That's Winter's ship! I'd recognize it anywhere!" She clapped her hands together and grinned.

Yang raised an eyebrow. "You two have history?"

Ruby scoffed as she and the two ninjas reached them. "I'll say, they tore up half of Beacon's landing pad when they met up last time. I think Qrow has a crush on her."

Yang broke out in a grin. "You don't say?"

"Watch it Short-Stack." He growled. "We're not like that."

Weiss huffed. "I'll say, Winter could certainly do much better."

"Uncle Qrow is greatest!" Ruby defended.

"Really? Name his top five redeeming qualities." The ex-heiress challenged.

The hooded girl shifted nervously. "Well, uh…he's really cool…and he, uh…uses a scythe…"

Qrow rolled his eyes. "My hero."

"Who is this?" Blake asked, as the ship finally touched down.

"Eldest Schnee daughter, I'm sure you two will hit it off kitty-kat." He answered.

She winced a little at that.

"In any case, we owe her our lives." Ren reminded them.

Qrow sighed as the ramp started to lower. "I assure you that she won't let us forget it."

The Specialist started to make her way down the ramp, her hands clasped behind her back. "Qrow." She greeted.

He spread his arms wide. "Ice Queen! Great to see you!" He made a mock bow, ignoring Weiss' growl behind him. "What do I owe the pleasure to? Come by for that rematch?"

She didn't react to the usual jabs, simply staring him down. "I need you to come with me to meet the General."

He waved her off. "Come on Winter, you know that's not going to happen. I work alone." He glanced back at the group of children standing behind him. "Kinda."

"Qrow…"

"You're not going to sell me on this, Ice Queen. I just don't-"

"Please."

The word gave him pause. Winter had never, and he meant never, pleaded in the time he'd known her.

"Who'd we lose?"

"Too many." Was her grim reply.

He nodded slowly. They might not get along, but he respected her, and if she was coming to them like this, it was bad.

"Part of our team is still in town. Should be a blond, a red-head, and an ankle-biter."

She nodded back. "Stevens called in and said he picked them up with some civilians. Sounds like they got quite a few out."

He heard a collective sigh of relief behind him. "Yeah, they're stubborn like that." He nodded towards the aircraft. "Ok kids, load up. We're going the rest of the way in style."

A white blur passed him.

"Winny!" Weiss cried as she embraced her sister. "How have you been? I've been so worried."

Winter chuckled and rested a hand on the younger girl's head. "Worried about me? I wasn't the one who ran away from the manor in the middle of the night."

Weiss laughed nervously. "Well it's a long story…"

"Father being father is what you mean. Klein told me."

"Thank God for Klein." The younger girl sighed.

Yang pointed at the scene. "This is the chick you have beef with?"

"Just wait." He warned.

"Are you sure it's just not a case of you being you?" Ruby asked.

"Get on the damn ship."

* * *

Most of the ride in the pristine white interior of the Schnee craft passed in silence, the occupants being both physically and mentally exhausted from the days events.

Qrow scanned over their dirty and tired faces from where they sat in the various seats scattered around the cabin, and made a mental note to watch them all a little more closely in the coming days. You never knew how loss of life on that scale was going to affect people. Which brought him back to a nagging question.

What the hell had caused a Grimm incursion on that scale?

He glanced back to the cockpit, where Winter was busily speaking on the radio and frequently switching channels, coordinating their arrival.

He felt a small lurch as the aircraft began its descent, the jostle waking Ruby from her spot beside him.

"Wha-?" She articulated.

"Morning sunshine."

She ignored him. "Are we there yet?"

"Take a look."

He watched as she shifted in her seat so she could better see out of the small circular window. He smiled when he heard her gasp. He'd seen the cityscape enough that he didn't even have to look to know what she was marveling at.

Giant towers of white and silver piercing the sky, almost like they formed a great hand reaching up to grasp the sun itself. The sky itself was filled with a constant stream of aircraft flying to this or that business, keeping the Goliath of a city moving. Even from where they were in the air, he knew she wouldn't be able to see end of the city. For a girl that had spent most of her life in rural Patch, he could only imagine the wonder.

Shadows began to invade the cabin as they reached the level where the buildings themselves were towering over them. They were almost there.

Winter walked back into the cabin and nodded to him. "We'll meet your friends on the ramp, then we'll be going to meet the General directly."

He leaned back in his chair. "How is Jimmy?"

She looked down. "Tired, very tired."

He hummed. "Yeah, I think we all are."

"Listen Qrow…" She hesitated. "I know you don't have any love for the General or for Atlas, but…can you promise to hear him out at least?"

He studied her for a moment, taking in the tired look in her own eyes. "Yeah Winter, I'll hear what he has to say."

She sighed in relief and turned to head back to the cockpit when he called out to her. "For the record…" He sighed. "I think that Jimmy's a good man. But he's also an asshole."

She smirked. "He said the same thing about you."

The craft vibrated as its thrusters turned downward, bring them down to rest upon the ramp.

Qrow stood as the craft settled and the ramp began to lower. The bright Atlas sun and crisp, cold air invaded the cabin. He strode down the ramp onto the asphalt pad that held dozens of Atlas military craft.

"Took you long enough."

His gaze fell on the young knight, standing on the pad with Nora and Oscar by his side.

"Sass later kid, Oscar and I need to talk." He said, careful not to use his other name in their present company.

"Ruby and I are coming along." Jaune stated firmly.

"Coming along for what?" The red-head asked as she reached the bottom of the ramp.

"Team meeting." The blond answered.

"I'm afraid it will have to wait." Winter cut in. "The General is ready for you now."

Qrow resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Ice Qu-Winter, we just came out of a fight, can we not have a minute?"

She shook her head sympathetically. "I'm sorry, I get it - but this way, you'll be able to get it out of the way and we'll be able to get you settled."

He sighed. "Fine, whatever." He made a dramatic sweeping gesture with his arm. "Lead the way."

She motioned for them to follow, leading their small procession along the aircraft ramp and into a vast grey and white structure that didn't tower as high as the other buildings they'd seen in the skyline, but was much, much wider.

"Winter, where are we?" Weiss asked, as they passed by high walls, covered in banners depicting art of Grimm, blades, and other characters all with numbers beneath them.

The eldest Schnee stood a little straighter. "You're in the high command building for the Atlas military. All the new weapons technology and the battle tactics you see the Atlas military deploy are developed here." She declared proudly.

"And boy do they love to deploy them." Qrow quipped. "How's that been working out for you?"

"Says the man saved by those very same troops not hours ago."

Qrow snorted. "We were doing fine."

Winter raised an eyebrow, and Weiss jumped in. "He means thank you. I've learned to speak their barbarian language."

"Hey!" Called the three Patch residents.

Winter sighed. "In any event, we're here." She gestured to towards to a pair of towering double doors with a gold lionhead split between them. She placed a hand on each of the doors and pushed, revealing a long office with gleaming white floors, and floor to ceiling windows looking out on what appeared to be training grounds. In the middle of the office was a giant rectangle table, crafted out of dark wood, and at the far end of the office was a large desk made of the same material, covered in papers. Behind the desk, sat General James Ironwood himself.

He stood to greet them. "Welcome. I apologize for rushing you here, but I needed to meet with you as soon as possible." His deep voice carrying easily across the room. "How have you been?"

Qrow looked the man up and down, taking note of his ruffled uniform and darkened eyes.

"You look like shit Jimmy."

"Qrow!" Winter snapped.

To everyone's surprise, the General chuckled. "Yes, I suppose so."

"Shit's that bad, huh?"

The General nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. We've been keeping busy. We're actually preparing for an operation right now." He glanced over to Winter. "Specialist, Colonel Markus is actually looking for you now. He needs your help getting the teams ready."

She snapped to attention. "Sir," and turned and left the room.

As the doors closed behind her, Ironwood's eyes snapped to Oscar. "Is that him?"

Qrow didn't miss a beat. "Is that who?"

"Don't play with me Qrow. I know how his cycle works. Do expect me to believe that you've dragged this boy here for any other reason?"

"Maybe he's my nephew."

Oscar's eyes flashed, and Ozpin spoke. "I'm here James, it's good to see you again."

The General slowly walked out from behind his desk and strode over to the dark-haired boy.

"Incredible." He whispered. "You told me about it, but I never really accepted it." He leaned closer to the boy. "Tell me, how does it-"

"James." The boy-headmaster interrupted. "I believe that you brought us here for a reason."

The General straightened. "Of course. I apologize. I understand that you were at Anthem when it fell?"

Ozpin nodded. "There was an unusual amount of Grimm there James, something drew them there. Those people were scared long before the Grimm got there. What were they scared of James?"

Ironwood grimaced. "The White Fang."

"That's impossible!" All eyes in the room shot over to the source of the outburst, Blake.

"I'm afraid so miss…"

"Belladonna." She answered embarrassedly.

"Atlas has always had a large collection of the more militant branches of the Fang, due to our…turbulent history with our own faunus population."

"So, what, they've been hitting military outpost on the border? That's pretty normal for them, right?" Qrow asked.

"They haven't been attacking military targets, they've been going after the towns themselves." The General frowned. "Best we can tell, they're trying to whip the local population into a panic. The panic brings the Grimm, the Grimm bring more panic, and therefore more Grimm. This is coordinated Qrow, this is a plan to spread the Atlas military as far and as wide as possible."

"What's their end game then? How do the Grimm help anyone?" Qrow countered.

Ironwood shook his head. "We don't know." He admitted. "But what we do know, is _who_ is behind it. Adam Taurus."

Qrow could hear Blake hiss from behind him.

"You're sure?"

"He killed two teams last week. I saw his face Qrow."

The crimson-eyed Hunter nodded in acceptance. _That's what Winter was so upset about._

Ozpin spoke again. "What are you thinking old friend?"

"That this is an opportunity." The General held up a hand as Qrow moved to speak. "We've been fighting blind this whole time, with no real target even stretching back to before the Fall of Beacon. Meanwhile, the enemy has been two steps ahead of us at every turn."

"You can thank Leo for that, he's been spying for years." Qrow answered.

"Damn coward." Ironwood growled low, before shaking his head and continuing. "I assume that means you have Haven's Relic?"

Qrow remained silent until Ozpin answered. "Yes."

Ironwood nodded. "Here's what I'm suggesting, leave the Relic here-"

"Not exactly in a trusting mood right now Jimmy."

The General strode over and glared at the dark Hunter. "If you're suggesting that I'm in the same boat as that traitor, you are sadly-"

"Gentlemen!" Ozpin interrupted. He sighed. "James, I'm guessing you want to leave the Relic to be guarded here while we join forces and go after Adam Taurus?"

Ironwood regained his composure. "Yes, that's right. This is our first real chance to go after someone that's in Her inner circle." He said, without having to explain who he was talking about. "This is perhaps the most secure place we could store that Relic, and as much as it pains me to admit, we're painfully understaffed for Hunters. Qrow is uniquely qualified to go after Adam, with his background in asymmetrical warfare, which is why I had Winter seek him out."

"Cause I was a bandit, you mean."

"Yes, you're our best hope for taking this madman down." The General placed a hand on the Hunter's shoulder. "I need your help Qrow."

The Hunter looked to Ozpin, who appeared to be lost in thought. Finally, he nodded.

"Alright James, we'll help you, but we expect the Relic back the moment we ask for it. If we don't like where this is going, we reserve the right to walk away. Are those terms acceptable?"

"Done." Ironwood held out a hand, which Ozpin took. "Thank you, Oz."

The headmaster smiled back. "What are friends for? Qrow, the Relic if you would."

The Hunter shrugged and pulled a small glowing lamp from the sack he'd been carrying. "Better keep that safe Jimmy, they're real popular at the moment."

Ironwood nodded. "You have my word." He said as he gingerly accepted the item. "And Qrow…thank you."

Qrow waived it off. "Don't go all mushy on me Jimmy. Anyway, what's our plan here?"

"You'll be deploying with Colonel Markus to a border operating location that covers several nearby towns in the area that Adam has been spotted. You'll actually be leaving out tomorrow." He winced a little at that. "For which I apologize, but we're on a timetable. I suggest you take the boys on a supply run before you head out. I can have Winter do the same for the ladies."

Qrow nodded. "Wait, Colonel Markus? As in Thomas Markus? From the Vacuo incursion about a decade ago?"

The General smiled. "The very same. He'll be excited to see you."

"Can't believe that crazy bastard is still alive. Anything else? Where are we crashing?"

"Winter will show you to your quarters. Colonel Markus will be giving his 'step-off' speech at 20:00 in the main hangar, again, Winter will show you there."

Qrow sighed and turned to leave. "Alright kids, we've all been drafted. Prepare for shitty food and long days."

"Do I get a cool uniform?" Nora asked.

"Only if it'll shut you up. Let's go."

* * *

Jaune stared around in wonderment at the sheer size of the military base. It was like a small town, with food, fuel, and even a shopping center on location. When he remarked about it to Qrow, the older man just responded.

"Dem Atlas lien at work."

"What are we here for anyway?" The knight asked as they walked into a shopping center several times larger than anything they had back in his hometown.

Qrow beelined for the toiletry section. "We're making you boys a survival kit for your military life." He explained. "You've actually been roughing it compared to what we'll probably be living in, but you'll appreciate anything that makes your life easier." He hummed. "Toiletries, flip-flops so you can avoid jellies in the shower-"

"Jellies?" The blond asked.

"You'll figure it out. Baby wipes in case the shower isn't working, and a few rolls of chewing tobacco come to mind."

"None of us use tobacco products." Ren offered.

"It's not for you, it's for trade once you get there." The Hunter scanned over the aisles in the story. "Speaking of which, Oscar – go grab us some batteries from down there."

"You got it!" The young boy answered, obviously way too excited by the prospect of deploying.

Qrow shook his head. "To be young and dumb again. Anyway kid, what'd you want to talk about now that he's gone?"

"Am I that bad at hiding it?" Jaune asked.

"The worst." Qrow and Ren answered at the same time, looking at each other in surprise, then smiling.

Jaune sighed. "We've been doing fine on our own, why do we need to tie ourselves to the Atlas military? Now there's just more barriers and red tape dictating what we do."

"Yeah kid, I'm not too thrilled about it either, but I see where Oz is coming from." The Hunter answered as he started grabbing wet wipes from the shelves.

"I thought he'd be the last person to trust Ironwood again." Jaune shot back.

"I think it has less to do with trust, and more to do with needing to expand our own access to resources and information." Ren offered.

"Ninja kid gets it." Qrow said as he began leading them towards the tobacco. "With Leo gone, we have no leads. Atlas has one of the biggest intel networks in the business, if anyone is going to hear about Salem's next move, it's going to be them. Getting Adam out of the picture would be a nice bonus."

"So, we're trading our time and blood for resources?" Jaune questioned.

"Pretty much just described the military kid."

"I'm not a fan."

"I can't say that I am either." Ren agreed.

"See? Bitching already, we'll make soldiers out of you boys yet."

* * *

The hours came and went, and soon enough, Qrow and Winter were leading the tired delegation into the main bullhead hangar for their 'step-off' speech.

 _Whatever that means_. Jaune thought.

"Qrow fucking Branwen, is that you?"

He watched as the crimson eyed Hunter turned to face a bald, dark-skinned man with a long scar tailing down his right cheek. He seemed almost unnaturally thin, reminding Jaune of greyhound.

"Thomas Markus, how have they not kicked you out yet?" Qrow answered.

The other man laughed. "I've been flying under the radar for years! Now they fucked up and gave me control of this little boondoggle!"

Jaune scanned over the massed of troops and equipment assembled in the hangar. "Doesn't look so little to me."

Markus' eyes flicked over to Jaune. "Holy shit Qrow, how young are you guys recruiting them now?"

Qrow shook his head. "They've always been that young Tom, we're just getting old."

"Ain't that the truth."

"Where do you want us for this anyway?" Qrow asked. "Who are we assigned to?"

Markus waved a hand. "We'll worry about the formal assignments later, some of you will work for Specialist Schnee and you'll have your own team you old bandit."

"Oh joy, responsibility."

"Welcome to being old." A young soldier came over and tapped the Colonel on the shoulder, motioning to the stage that faced out to the rest of the hangar. He sighed. "Back to work I guess. I'll see you around you old bird, first round's on you."

Qrow snorted. "Not with what you get paid."

The other man laughed as he allowed himself to be led off.

Jaune turned to Qrow. "That's the guy who's leading this? He seems…"

"Less than professional." Ren finished.

"I like him!" Nora offered.

Qrow smiled. "Tom, don't you dare try to call him that, is good stuff. A soldier's soldier. If there's anyone we want heading this up, it's him."

Winter hummed in agreement.

"So, Ice Queen, where do you want us?"

She sighed and motioned towards the bullheads that were sitting at the entrance of the hangar, just behind the large formation of troops. "Just head over there until after the ceremony, then I'll take you back to your rooms. I need to go meet up with my team."

As she began walking off, Jaune turned to Qrow. "Why do you enjoy baiting her so much?"

Qrow shrugged. "I dunno, cause it's fun?"

"Yeah Jaune-Jaune, what don't you get about that?" Nora interjected.

Qrow smiled. "You're alright Pinky."

Nora preened.

Jaune sighed. "Yang makes so much more sense now."

"What about me Ladykiller?" The blonde girl asked as she made her way over to them.

"Uhhhh, we were just talking about how good you'd look in uniform!" Jaune panicked.

Ren snorted.

"Smooth." Nora said.

"Really?" She asked, looking over the Atlas uniforms, a patchwork pattern of greens and browns meant for the field, rather than the traditional white armor. She nodded. "I think I could pull it off."

"Yep! Anyway, I think they want us over there." The knight explained as he hurriedly led the way to the bullheads.

"You're going to fuck this up eventually, you know that right?" Qrow asked from behind him.

"I've been skating the line between life and death for a while now, I'm going to keep going till it all collapses on me." He growled back.

Qrow chuckled at that, and they took their place in the back just in time for Col Markus to make his way to the podium sitting in the middle of the stage at the back of the hangar.

The older man cleared his throat as he adjusted the microphone on the podium.

"Proud men and women of the 50th bullhead special operations wing. Here, on the eve of our deployment, I stand before you with words from General Ironwood himself." He pulled a letter from the breast pocket of his uniform.

"My fellow soldiers." He began.

"You have been called upon once again to serve your country, and for that we are eternally grateful. You are the pride of the Atlassian military, and it is with this in mind that you have been selected for this mission. We are fighting against the forces that seek to divide us along the traditional lines of race and hatred, not understanding that we are moving forward to new Atlas, one which sees no such divisions. This is the same enemy which caused the tragedy at the Beacon academy, that led to so many of our brothers and sisters losing their lives. These heinous acts must be accounted for if we are to keep moving forward as a society. You will be the instrument of justice that ensures a better tomorrow for the entirety of Atlas. My heart goes with you as you travel forth to the front, watch after each other and come back home to a proud nation."

The Colonel quietly folded the note and place it back into his pocket, before leaning back into the mic.

"Now I know that was way above most of your reading levels." He joked, causing a ripple of laughter to travel through the assembled troops.

"Luckily for you." He continued. "I've worked for the Ironfather for years and know that he speaks in code." He held out a hand to the audience. "Would you like me to translate the Ironfather's message for you?"

A cheer rose up from the crowd.

"Very well." He grabbed the microphone and pulled it towards him.

"My fellow savages." He began again.

"You have been called upon to do your fucking jobs."

More laughter traveled through the crowd.

"They tell me you're some kind of elite unit, so it's time to put your asses to work so you can prove it."

Whoops and cheers started to meet the Colonel's words.

"These poor fuckers think that they're going to turn faunus against human, but the only race I see before me is barbarian."

The assembled crowd started making grunts and howls.

"These are the same bastards that bloodied our nose at Beacon, but no one told them that Atlas pays its debts back with interest, and you're going to be the ones to teach them."

The cheers reached a favor pitch.

"I'll see you at the front soon, until then, go fuck'em up so we can all come home. First round is on me."

The crowd exploded into cheers, chants, and the stomping of boots. It was infectious, and Jaune felt his own boot lightly tapping the ground as the mania overtook the crowd.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and Qrow leaned forward and whispered in his ear.

"Welcome to the military, soldier."

* * *

 **OMAKE**

Jaune shook his head. "I still don't understand why we just signed our lives over to the Atlas military."

Qrow continued to shift through supplies on the store shelves. "God you're a buzzkill. Shouldn't you be way more excited about this? You're going to see the world."

"We've been seeing the world. So far, it's been terrifying."

Qrow ignored him. "Or maybe buying a nice car that you can't possibly afford at a ridiculous interest rate?"

"I can't drive."

"Getting married way too young to someone trying to escape their hometown or because you knocked her up?"

Jaune cocked his head. "I don't think we're at that point yet, but I'll have Yang keep me posted."

"Yeah, yeah, go fuck yourself."

"Are-are you just listing off things young soldier do?" The blond asked.

Qrow sighed. "Yes! Now get out there and live a little. Make some bad decisions!"

Jaune shook his head. "Why are you so set on this? I thought you hated authority. Isn't like...your thing?"

The older man turned and grabbed him by the shoulders. "It's the uniforms kid, the uniforms."

"What the hell are you talking about? Are you drunk?"

"Not yet, but that's not important." He leaned in closer. "What is important is what a fucking panty dropper Atlas uniforms are."

"That can't possibly be why we're doing this."

The dark Hunter stared at him seriously.

"Holy shit, that is why we're doing this."

"I NEED this kid. Do not fuck this up for me."

The blond sighed. "You understand that Yang is the panties in question in my case, yes?"

Qrow winced. "Sacrifices must be made."

"You're a sick, sick man."

Qrow beamed. "A sick, sick man in uniform you mean."

* * *

 **JJD: Hey everybody! It's good to be back with Jaune and the crew again.**

 **This story is both exciting and terrifying to me. It's me wandering into the uncharted grounds of having to write an original plot (can't cheat and steal from RT anymore), and it requires a level of creativity that I guess we'll figure out if I have or not together.**

 **OCs are a thing now, which is something I've been historically uncomfortable with. All credit for me feeling remotely capable of pulling it off goes to Cr00cy. Without helping him write characters like Tob, Mei, and Sam (from The ProfessionArc, go check it out folks), I'd never have gotten there.**

 **This is also going to be the longest story I've ever attempted, and I hope it's better for it. Fighting Mean was like a shot of espresso, full of energy, but quickly finished. I hope that Fighting Smart is like a good cup of coffee, full of flavor, strong, lasting and….holy shit I think I'm accidently writing the next chapter of Analogies.**


	3. In The Army Now

**Cr00cy keeping things sane.**

 **CHAPTER 2**

 **In the Army Now**

* * *

 **W.S. Quote Book Says:** "When we assumed the Soldier, we did not lay aside the Citizen." George Washington

 **W.S. Playlist Says** : "Heavenly Father, I'm a soldier  
I'm gettin, hotter, cuz the world is gettin' colder." - Tupac Shakur

* * *

Airsickness, Jaune decided for the fifth time that trip, was a bitch.

The bullhead lurched as it started its decent.

He felt Yang start to rub small circles in his back, trying to help him ward off re-earning his Beacon nickname in front of all his new 'friends.'

The faces around the craft stared at him varied from genuinely concerned, concerned about getting vomited on, to amused. The muscular man sitting across from him, was smirking...the asshole.

"Bro, who joins a bullhead assault unit when they get airsick?" He teased.

Jaune tried to place the man, looking over his large frame and single strip of close cropped hair that ran along the center of his head.

"Stevens right?"

The man's smile grew. "Yep, and you're John? Jaune?"

"Jaune." He confirmed.

"And who's the pretty lady rubbing your back there? You seem awful close."

Yang proudly thrust out a hand. "Yang, the better half."

His eyes widened. "Holy shit Ladykiller, I misjudged you! You brought your girl? You did come prepared." He turned and shouted down the bullhead. "Robin! What the hell? You were supposed to remind me to pack everything, why didn't you remind me to pack my girl?"

"Probably casue no one will date your dumbass." A feminine voice called back.

Yang held up a hand. "First off, clearly I packed Jaune, not the other way around."

Jaune nodded in agreement.

"Second of all, the appropriate nickname for him in this instance is Vom-"

Jaune slapped a hand over her mouth and smiled at Stevens. "Don't listen to her, she says the craziest th-Omph!" He grunted as she elbowed him in the ribs.

He smiled sheepishly at her as she playfully glared at him.

The older man just shook his head. "You two are adorable. Anyway, what brings you out here to middle-of-nowhere of Atlas? You don't look like our standard Specialist."

"Can't a girl just want to get out a see the world." Yang asked with an exaggerated wave of her hand.

Stevens chuckled. "You? Sure, but your boy toy over here looks like someone just shot his puppy."

Jaune shuffled his feet embarrassedly. "I uh, just have some reservations about signing up to taking orders from people I don't know. I've recently...lost faith in authority figures."

Stevens grinned and turned back down the craft. "Robin? You hear that? He's got issues with authority."

"Sounds like he's ready for the military to me." She called back.

Stevens turned back to him. "You'll fit in fine kid. Everybody questions the brass, worry about the guys next to you." He motioned over to Yang. "Or lady in your case. We all take care of each other. Isn't that right Robin?"

"I already have buyers for you stuff when you bite it Stevens."

"See? You can't buy that kind of love." He informed Jaune sagely.

The blond shook his head. "She'll love Weiss."

"You brought more!?" The man cried.

Jaune opened his mouth to respond, but the craft lurched again, and he suddenly had much more immediate concerns. Like holding onto his breakfast.

Stevens leaned back in his jump seat. "Just a little longer my man, we're about to land."

"Yeah, Vomit Boy." Yang whispered in his ear. "Wouldn't want to earn that nickname again, would you?"

He groaned, but true to Steven's word, the aircraft slowed and began to slowly lower itself down to earth.

He let out a sigh of relief as the craft settled on the ground, and the ramp opened to let in sweet, sweet, fresh air.

He tried to maintain some measure of dignity as he stumbled his was towards the exit and onto the grey concrete of the landing pad. He stared at the ground, trying to push the last traces of his nausea down.

"You really are pathetic, you know that kid?" He heard a familiar voice mock.

"Whatever old man. At least I wasn't employed as a messenger pigeon."

Oscar snorted from his place behind Qrow, earning a sharp look from the older man.

Jaune just shook his head and began scanning over the base, now that he could focus on something besides his stomach.

It was massive, stretching as far as his eyes could see. It was a combination of rows and rows of giant green and tan tents, what almost appeared to be shipping containers that people flowed in and out of, and even hardened buildings that looked like it had been part of the original base before they expanded. His ears were filled with the sounds of bullhead engines, generators humming, and the shouting of construction crews from around the camp.

"Wow," was all he could manage.

"Impressive isn't it?" Weiss said proudly, as she walked up to them with the rest of teams RWBY and JNR in tow. "This is the power of the Atlas military." She beamed.

Qrow rolled his eyes. "Calm down Princess."

"Yeah, chill out Snow Angel." Yang chipped in, all too proud of herself, even as Jaune gave her a deadpan look.

He sighed. "Yeah Weiss, this is pretty amazing, I don't think I've ever seen this many troops in one place."

"But they all have the same weapons." Ruby whined. "It's so boring!"

"It's called standardization you dunce!"

"It's lame!"

"Yeah, where are the grenade hammers?!" Nora shouted.

"Nora, no one uses grenade hammers but you." Ren sighed.

"That's cause it hasn't caught on yet!" Her eyes brightened with an idea. "Renny!"

"No." Was the firm response.

"But I'm thinking of our retirement! They'll sell like hotcake! Blake wants one, don't you Blake?"

"Um...maybe?" She answered carefully.

"See!?" The pinkette cried excitedly, "our first sale right there."

A new voice interrupted them. "Maybe we can hold off on making retirement plans till you served a day."

"Hey Winny, nice digs you got here, looks right on track with typical Atlas overspending." Qrow shot back.

Her eyes narrowed at the new nickname. "Oh? Well then, I guess you won't mind sleeping under the stars if our set-up offends you." She countered.

He coughed. "Well, you already went through all the effort...who am I to turn it down?"

"A drunk?" She offered.

"Har har Winny. You going to show us where we're setting up or what?"

She sighed. "I suppose. Follow me." She turned on her heel and began walking off into the camp.

As their motley crew followed the white-haired Specialist through the busy and winding camp, Winter began to explain their situation to them.

"You've all been temporarily appointed to the position of Specialist in the Atlesian military. We'll be split into two teams with myself leading one, and against all better judgement, Qrow leading the other."

"Heh, day one and I'm already the same rank as you Ice Queen."

"Who's with what team?" Jaune asked.

Winter looked back over her shoulder. "Your team will be with me and my team since you're a man down."

Jaune grimaced at that.

"And Qrow will be in charge of team RWBY as well as his own team."

"But I wanted to work with you Winter!" Weiss cried.

"Nepotism is not a good look dear sister." She explained.

"But what about Qrow, Yang, and Ruby?" She shot back.

"Qrow is special...in more ways than one."

"You love me Ice Queen." Said the older Hunter.

"What about Oscar?" Jaune challenged.

She snorted. "Yeah, I don't intend to take a child into battle."

"He's proven himself."

Qrow placed a hand on his shoulder. "Nah kid, I get it in this case. None of these soldiers are going to be able to focus with the small fry hanging around. Ruby's going to be bad enough."

Two seperate shouts of 'hey!' went up.

"He's right, for once." Winter confirmed. "Also, we're here." She held out a hand towards a group of soldiers unloading a vehicle. "Qrow, meet Ursa squadron, you'll be working with Chief-"

"Bryan you crusty old bastard, they haven't kicked you out yet?!" Qrow cried.

A middle-aged man with close-cropped salt and pepper hair and a matching thick mustache, looked up from the box he'd just taken off the truck.

"Holy shit! Qrow Branwen, you're still alive?" His worn face broke out into a smile, as he sat the box down and began making his way over to them.

Ruby looked up at her uncle. "Do you know EVERYONE?"

"Listen Short-Stack, you hunt Grimm for 20 plus years, you're going to meet a lot of the folks that do the same."

The man held out a hand as he reached them. "You still cheating at cards?"

Qrow scoffed as he accepted the hand. "I never cheated, you're just a sore loser. That table broke all on its own that one time."

"Yeah, and I'm sure a certain Semblance had nothing to do with it." The man drawled.

"You can't prove anything."

The man shook his head. "Whatever. You look like shit compared to Tai back there by the way, that dude hasn't aged a day!"

"That's not Tai you old coot. That pain in the ass in an Arc, Nicolas' boy."

Jaune waved nervously.

"Figures, Tai's probably started a harem somewhere by now." Chief Bryan chuckled.

"Don't joke about that shit. He'll hear you, and make it happen." Qrow warned.

Chief chuckled. "That shit was baffling, it was like he wasn't even trying. Anyway, what brings you out here?"

Qrow smirked. "I think I'm your new boss."

It was Chief's turn to scoff. "You mean that you're going to try not to lick the windows on the bullhead while my men babysit you."

"I can feel a demotion coming on for you already."

"Try it." He challenged. "Who's the crowd by the way?'

Qrow made a sweeping gesture towards the girls standing behind him. "Team RWBY, also your bosses. We're your new Specialists."

Bryan groaned. "Specialist Schnee, you're leaving me with Qrow and a pack of children?"

"I'm leaving you in the capable...ish, hands of Specialist Branwen and these promising young Huntresses, yes." She deadpanned.

Jaune watched the varied reactions travel around the new team.

Qrow looked like he might be sick after hearing 'Specialist Branwen,' Weiss beamed at the compliment from her sister, Ruby and Yang seemed entertained that someone was taking this piss out of their uncle, Blake's eyes shifted nervously about camp, and Chief Bryan looked like someone had just told him that he had a LOT of extra work ahead of him.

"Awww, we love you too Chief." Yang smirked.

He pointed towards her. "That's Tai's daughter." He accused.

Qrow sighed. "The red one too."

Ruby waved happily.

His eyes found Weiss. "That's your sister?" He asked Winter.

"Yes, this is Weiss Schnee."

Weiss held out a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

He shook it unenthusiastically. "Yeah, it's all mine."

He pleadingly looked at Blake. "You're normal, right?" He asked hopefully.

She chuckled nervously.

He ran a hand down his face. "Specialist, why!?"

Winter rolled her eyes. "Cause I needed somewhere to park all my misfit toys. They'll keep you alive you ungrateful sod."

"But what if I don't want to be alive anymore?"

"Then I'm sure they can help you with that too." She shrugged. "We're done here. Oscar was it? You're with Qrow, everyone else follow me." She placed a hand on Weiss' shoulder. "I'll see you later today little sister."

Yang leaned over and pecked Jaune on the cheek. "See you later Ladykiller. Don't drop the soap in the showers."

He sighed as he turned to follow Winter with Ren and Nora. "This is the kinda love that I stick around for."

He could hear her cackling as he wandered off after his team.

* * *

They walked for a few more minutes through the maze of tents and conexes, before Jaune started to see an emblem of a cartoon Beowolf painted on the side of barriers and hanging from pennants throughout the area of camp.

Winter remained silent throughout their walk, keeping her eyes forward and setting a swift pace. He looked her over, trying to gain some sense of her character, but she was stone faced.

 _I guess being ice cold runs in the family._ He thought, before internally wincing. _I might be spending too much time around Yang._

"What's our unit called?" He tried.

"The Beowolves." Was her short reply.

 _Ok, not a talker then._

"But I like Ursas!" Nora whined.

"I do apologize that you weren't consulted on name preferences. I'll be sure to file an official complaint on your behalf." She answered sarcastically.

The pinkette perked up. "Maybe we can be the double Ursas Renny!"

The boy in green slowly shook his head. "I don't think that's going to happen Nora."

"But it's such a better name!"

"Don't let the team hear you say that." Winter warned. "There's a pretty intense rivalry between the Ursas and Beowolves."

"That a military thing?" He asked.

She gave him a sideways glance. "What, you never competed with another team at Beacon? I can understand being intimidated by my sister's team, but-"

He snorted.

Her eyes narrowed. "Yes?"

He waved a hand. "Nothing, just taking note of familial similarities."

"That was real Weiss of you." Nora offered helpfully.

"There is a lot of pride in the Schnee family." Ren agreed.

"I'm proud of my sister." She responded defensively. "There's nothing wrong with that."

Jaune sighed. "No, it's just that you assumed we'd be intimidated by them."

"Yeah, Fearless Leader isn't afraid of anything!" Nora said. "In fact, he even tried to da-ompf!"

She cut off as Ren elbowed her in the side.

 _I love you Ren._

Nora looked scandalized and pushed Ren back.

"Renny! I was trying to tell her that Jaune was dating Weiss!"

Winter suddenly came to a full stop, causing Jaune to almost run into her, before turning on them.

"I'm sorry, what?"

 _Shit! What the hell Nora!_

"It's not like that! We never dated!" He defended.

Nora wasn't having it.

"But Jauney! You serenaded her! It was so romantic!" She swooned.

 _I really hate you right now Nora._

Winter's eyes narrowed. "Tell me more...Nora was it?"

The hammer wielder beamed and opened her mouth to continue, fighting Ren off the whole time, but just then, an older soldier walking behind Winter caught sight of them. His eyes roved over them for a moment before widening. He made a sharp turn towards them.

"Nope!" He cried.

Winter's head sank as she heard the voice.

 _I don't know who that is, but they're my new favorite._

The Huntress in white spun to meet the approaching man.

"Nope what, Chief?"

"You know damn well what, First!" He accused. "You promised me Specialists!"

"And I brought you Specialists!" She pointed to them.

Jaune looked over to Ren, who just shrugged.

The man, a dog faunus judging by the black and white pert ears sticking up from his silver hair, snorted.

"First, if those are Hunters, then I'm a damn cat."

She huffed. "Maybe it would help your hearing! I told you Specialists, they are all technically Specialists!"

Nora waved excitedly behind her.

"Oh, they're TECHNICALLY Specialists? Well that makes it all better then I guess." He replied sarcastically.

"Look you ungrateful son of a bitch-"

"That's racist!"

"You know what I meant!" She let out a sigh of exasperation. "I've already done this song and dance with Bryan, I'm not in the mood. Besides, they're almost Hunters!" She looked back to Nora. "What year were you?"

"Almost graduated our first year!" She replied cheerfully.

Chief burst out laughing. "Oh good! You brought back 3/4ths of a Hunter! We're saved!"

"I'm going to put you down you dogeared pain in the ass." She growled.

"Um, excuse me." Jaune started. "As much as we all love being ignored, who is this?"

Winter's glare found him once more, but she held out a hand in introduction. "Team JNR, this is Chief Zane, a royal pain. Chief, these are your new Specialist."

He sighed and held out his hand. "Welcome to the Beowolves, Specs."

As Jaune took the man's hand, Winter explained. "Chief here helps me run the unit, or I help him, I can't decide which."

"Definitely the latter." The dog faunus quipped.

"Anyway, we're the mom and dad of this dysfunctional family. I'm the dad of course." She informed them. "Don't get confused by your rank being technically higher than his, Chief is in charge while I'm not here."

Her scrolled beeped, and she shook her head as she took a look at it. "Like right now. Chief, I'm needed at HQ, they're yours now."

"Where do you want me to put them?" He asked.

She waved a hand. "Doesn't matter, nobody's special, they get in where they fit in."

With that, she turned and began walking back in the direction they came, shooting one last look Jaune's way.

"Have fun at work dear!" Chief Zane called after her. "Don't be late for dinner, I'm cooking disappointment and broken promises!"

The man smiled to himself as she disappeared into the distance. "She's good stuff."

Jaune shook his head. "I don't think I've ever been more confused."

"Agreed." Ren said.

The faunus turned back to them and smiled their way, creasing the well worn lines on his face.

"Sorry about that Specs. We're all happy to have you here, but I couldn't miss an opportunity to mess with the First."

Jaune held up a hand. "Ok, let's start there. First, what's a First?"

The older man chuckled. "They really did grab you fresh off the street, huh? First refers to Winter's Specialist rank, she's First class. You folks are Second class. Most of the unit is going to probably refer to you as either Second or Spec."

"How are they going to tell the difference between us?" Nora asked.

The man smirked. "It'll work out. Anyway, you kids - sorry, you Specialist, need to see the rest of camp. What do you say to a full tour?"

"Yeeesssss!" Cried Nora happily, as she pumped her arm in the air.

Ren sighed. "That would be much appreciated."

The faunus shook his head. "Alright, follow me."

He took off down the way with the team in tow.

"First, we'll show you the mess hall, that's the most important part of your day." He explained as he beelined for a massive tent in the center of camp.

"Oooh! Do they serve pancakes?" Nora asked hopefully.

He chuckled. "That they do young lady. Then we'll drop by the entrances to the base, just in case we end up sending you out on patrol."

"Patrol what exactly?" Ren asked.

Chief scoffed. "Wow, they really just dropped you into it huh? We're in charge of stopping Grimm and Fang attacks on the border towns. Once we get you trained up, you'll be part of the bullhead strike teams that respond to emergencies in the area."

"Trained up?" Jaune asked. "What training do you think we need?"

The older man looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "You ever clear a house? No? Then trust us, we'll get you to where you need to be."

Jaune took a deep breath and let it out. "Ok, anything we need to know about military life or the Beowolves?"

The man hummed. "Anyone tell you to wear flip-flops in the shower?"

"Yes."

He nodded. "Good, that one is key. Let's see, other than that, know that tobacco, energy drinks and workout supplements are as good as gold here."

Ren produced one of the logs of chewing tobacco. "Like these?"

Zane laughed. "Well damn, you kids came prepared after all, huh? You'll get along fine. What other questions you got? Hold that thought."

They reached the entrance of the large tent, the "mess tent," Jaune had learned, and after a brief conversation and a few signatures, they were registered and ready to move on.

As they walked back outside, Jaune caught sight of a large, three-story, hexagonal building.

"Ok, next question, what is that?" He asked pointing.

Chief clapped him on the shoulder. "That's a marvel of engineering, the SRT, the Short-Range Transmit system. Atlas had it built after the Fall of Beacon. It allows this border base to talk with HQ back at Atlas, as well as all the aircraft in the area."

"Impressive." Ren acknowledged.

"How far does it reach? Can you talk Vale?" Nora asked excitedly.

He chuckled a little. "Unfortunately, that's where the Short-Range part comes in. It's pretty much only good out to Atlas."

"Awww."

"Yeah, I get how you feel."

They spent the rest of the day wandering around the camp, getting acquainted with landing pads, the base entrances, the various personnel agencies, before finally stopping at the supply building and picking up a bag full of bedding.

"Ok." Chief nodded. "That should be about it, let's get you guys back to the unit so you can drop that off and meet the rest of the team."

As they walked, Jaune took a deep breath, mustering the courage to ask what he'd been wondering about since seeing the first interaction between Winter and the older man.

"Hey, uh..Chief. Do you not like Winter? Are we going to have issues with the rest of camp because of her?"

The man stopped and turned, cocking his head at the younger man. "What would give you the idea that I don't like the First?"

"You guys seemed pretty pissed when you we met up." Jaune offered.

He scoffed. "Nah, that's just the way we talk. You guys don't give each other shit at those combat schools?"

"Uhhh…"

"His paramour calls him Vomit Boy!" Nora chipped in.

Jaune looked at Ren in both embarrassment and confusion, mouthing 'paramour?' To the boy in green.

Ren sighed and shrugged.

"See?" Chief said. "Same all over. Also, paramour?"

Nora cleared her throat. "It means they're booping."

Chief opened his mouth, closed it, and turned to the boys, who just shook their heads.

"Yeah, thanks for that. Anyway, to answer your question, the First is one of the best officers I've worked with. A little rough around the edges and a hot head, but she cares and she's good at her job." He rubbed his chin. "You'll probably have a rough settling in period, but you'll get it. Come talk to me if you need to, or better yet, her, but don't ever take that shit out into the unit."

The three nodded.

He clapped his hands together. "Well, now that we have that out of the way, let's get back to the team."

They made there way back through the maze of tents and conexes before the familiar flags and wall paintings of a flexing cartoon Beowolf came into view again. Soon enough, they could hear the sounds of the laughing and bantering coming from a few rows of tents over.

They crossed over the last row of tents and were greeted by a gathering of men and women in various stages of uniform, all talking, laughing, or playing various card or board games.

A familiar face caught sight of them and turned from the table he was sitting at.

Stevens broke out into a grin. "What's going on Chief? What's up Jaune?"

"Specialist Arc." Chief corrected.

Stevens' eyes widened. "Oh shit, you guys are assigned to us? Moving up in the world!"

Jaune couldn't help but smile back. "I guess we're all Beowolves now, huh?"

"Hell yeah you are! Uh...sir." He quickly amended.

Nora cheered. "We're going to be the best Beowolves ever!"

Stevens chuckled. "Let's slow down there for a minute. Maybe you should meet the team first." He motioned towards the group sitting at the small wooden picnic table with him.

"This is Ricky." He gestured to a thin man wearing glasses who saluted in return.

"Peter" The young, brown-haired, rabbit faunus shot them a two-finger salute.

"Rob." A dark hair-haired man with a scar running down his cheek nodded to him.

"And Sam." A woman with short red hair raised her hand.

Stevens nodded back towards the rest of the camp. "There's more you can meet later, but why don't you guys take a seat for now, and we'll deal you in?" He held up a deck of cards.

Jaune looked to Ren and Nora, shrugged and sat down with their new team.

* * *

The rest of the evening had passed by relatively uneventfully, just JNR getting to know the rest of the unit.

There had been the incident of Nora 'flagging' the rest of the table with her grenade launcher when they'd asked about their weapons.

 _Apparently, people without Aura get a little bit more upset about that kinda thing._ Jaune thought.

He'd almost laughed at how disappointed everyone had been with Crocea Mors.

"It's just a sword?" Rob had clarified.

"Yep."

"That's some serious Hunter bullshit that you can get away with that." The dark-haired man muttered to the rest of the table.

He'd watched as a tired looking Winter returned to the camp, briefly speaking to Chief before disappearing into the Beowolves' section on tents.

He took a look at his scroll.

It was getting a little late. He turned to Ren and Nora. "Hey guys, you about ready to get settled for the night?"

The duo shrugged. "Sounds good to me." Ren accepted.

They said their goodbyes at the table and JNR made their way over to the table that Chief Bryan and Zane were sitting.

"Uh, Chief?" He started.

Both men looked at them.

"Chief Zane." He corrected. "Would you mind telling us where we'll be staying?"

The men at the table shared a conspiratorial look.

"Oh course, sir!" Zane replied happily. "Specialist Ren and Valkyrie are in tent 2B, and you'll be in 1A. Everything's labeled, so you can't miss it."

"We're not together?" Nora complained.

Zane shrugged. "Sorry Spec, that's just the way it fell out."

Jaune sighed. "It's alright guys, we'll only be sleeping there anyway. What's the schedule for tomorrow anyway Chief?"

"I think the First wants to do a training session with you three first thing in the morning. 0600 at the gym, I'll take you three over there."

Jaune nodded. "Alright, thanks. See you guys tomorrow."

The two Chiefs at the table waved to the departing team, before Zane called after them. "Hey Specialist Arc, remember, 1A!"

Jaune shot the man a thumbs-up.

 _Does he really think that I'm that forgetful?_

He followed Ren and Nora to their tent, making sure that they got settled and that he could find it again if needed in the night, before setting off for his own. Sure enough, one row up and one tent over, he found his new home.

He sighed, this was going to be harder than he thought. Not only was he not sold on the military idea, but now he was separated from his REAL team.

 _Oh well, might as well make the best of it and meet my new roommate._ He thought as he reached for the tent flap. _After all, stranger are just friends that-_

Whatever the young knight thought he was prepared for when he opened the tent, this was not it. The furnishing of the wood floored tent weren't that surprising, Jaune had pretty much expected the steel frame bunk bed and desk with small metal and cloth chairs from what he'd seen in Ren and Nora's tent. No, it was who was sitting in the chair that shocked him.

There sat one Winter Schnee, hair down and clothed in a simple pair of black basketball shorts and a white 'Wolf Pack' t-shirt with the now familiar cartoon Beowolf mascot on it, listening to something though her large, over-the-ear headphones and bobbing her head in time with the music.

 _Very aggressive music if the lyrics are anything to go by._ Jaune thought, as her listened to her sing in shocked silence.

"My business card says you're in luck." She jammed along happily. "I do two things, I rap and fu-" She turned in time to catch sight of him and stopped mid-lyric.

"Uh, hi?" He tried weakly.

Her eyes quickly traveled over him, taking note of the duffle bag on his shoulder.

"Nope." Was her only reply.

"Nope what?"

She glared. "Nope, you're not staying here. You found the wrong tent. We'll talk in the morning."

He felt himself becoming heated. "This is 1A right? Chief told me to come here!"

Her eyes widened a little at that, and she found her feet.

"Did he now?" She growled. "Well, we're going to solve this right now." She pushed past him and took off at a quick pace toward the opposite end of the line of tents. "Follow me."

He sighed and trudged behind her _. It can't be easy, can it?_

They stopped when they reached the far tent, and Winter ripped back the flap, revealing Chiefs Bryan and Zane sitting on their respective bunks.

"CHIEF!"

"Whoa ma'am! You should knock, we could have been indecent!" Zane replied in mock scandal.

"You're never decent." She accused.

"Hurtful ma'am. What appears to be the problem? We wouldn't want you to be upset." He asked, voice dripping with concern.

Jaune's eyes trailed over to Chief Bryan, who was valiantly trying to fight off a smile.

"You know damn well!" She roared.

"I'm just afraid I don't." He shrugged.

"Why is he." She pointed to Jaune. "In MY tent."

"Ah." Chief Zane said with sudden understanding. "Well ma'am, you see, the military uses a system by which it bunks member of the same unit together." He explained carefully, as if to a child. "We strive to make the most efficient use of space-"

Chief Bryan had given up on fighting the smile, now trying to force down the giggle fit about to boil over.

"I KNOW how billeting works you dolt! But why isn't he with the rest!?"

"Because ma'am, there was an open space in YOUR tent." He smirked. "Didn't you say, and I quote, 'nobody's special?'"

"You did this on purpose." She growled.

He put a hand to his chest in mock scandal. "Ma'am! What would ever give you that idea!"

"You know the Chief in lodging. You set this up because they're not Specialist."

He shook his head. "That's just ridiculous ma'am. Why would I purposely set you up? Just because you promised me one thing and delivered 'quarter-Hunters?'"

Bryan was howling with laughter at this point.

"I WILL get you for this Chief." She promised.

"Just following orders ma'am." He grinned.

Jaune watched as she huffed and took off back towards their tent.

"You have a good night ma'am!" Chief Zane called after her, prompting Winter to send him a decidedly un-ladylike hand gesture over her shoulder, and sending Chief Bryan into a fresh laughing fit.

Jaune looked at the older man in betrayal. "I thought we were friends!"

The man chuckled. "The best, but you're collateral damage on this one Spec. Don't worry, you'll survive the night...probably."

"Go get her champ!" Bryan offered helpfully, before breaking down laughing again.

* * *

Jaune sighed and closed the tent flap, it was going to be a long deployment.

By the time he returned to the tent, Winter had already taken her place on the bottom bunk, forcing him to clamber up the side and start to set up the top bunk. When he'd finished, he stared at the top of the tent, hanging a foot on so above his head.

Everything in him told him he should leave in be. Just let sleeping Beowolves lie.

He didn't listen.

"But I mean...do they?" He asked.

He heard a heavy sigh beneath him. "Do they what?"

"Do you business cards say that you do two things? Rap and fu-"

"Goodnight Arc."

The lights flicked off.

He smiled to himself.

Sure, he was probably going to regret that tomorrow, but tonight?

Worth it.

* * *

 **Omake**

 **Canon-ish**

 **Sisterly Advice**

The two Schee sisters sat across from each other at a secluded table in the corner of the mess tent.

"So." Winter started. "How have you been?"

"Tired." Weiss smiled weakly. "It was a long trip to Haven, one in which I may or may not have been disowned by father."

Winter shrugged. "Happens to the best of us. How's Klein."

Weiss smile grew. "Still amazing. Do you remember the year he was the only one who remembered our birthday?"

Her sister rolled her eyes. "Do you mean every year?"

"Yeah, that's the one!"

The Specialist shook her head. "It's remarkable that we're even remotely normal."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Are we though? My team would disagree with that assessment."

"They seem...interesting." She tried.

Weiss snorted. "They're all insane. But they're my crazy people." She smiled fondly. "It was so good to see them again after so long." She looked up at her sister. "It's so good to see you."

Winter smiled back. "It's good to see you too."

She tried to figure out how to broach the next subject. "So, have you met anyone during your time at Beacon?"

Weiss coughed. "Well, there was one boy, Neptune, but it was nothing serious."

"No one else since?" She probed.

"No one." Weiss promised.

Winter sighed. "You don't have to lie to me Weiss."

"I'm not!" She protested.

"I can understand WHY you did it, but there are other ways to get back at father."

"Get back at-. What are you you talking about!?" Weiss sputtered.

"I know about your tryst Qrow's...protegee."

"Qrow's what?"

Winter shook her head. "Weiss, just stop. Tall, blond, scraggly-ish. The Arc boy."

"JAUNE!" Weiss exclaimed.

Winter snapped her fingers. "That's his name."

"You think I was dating Jaune?!"

"Yes, the pink girl let it slip. Clearly not because you have any attraction towards him, I have more faith in you than that."

Weiss held up a hand. "You think I was fake dating Jaune to get back at father?" She clarified.

Winter nodded. "Yes."

She watched as Weiss became lost in thought, the look of shock on her face giving way to consideration.

"Weiss." She started carefully. "What are you thinking about?"

Her younger sister started slowly nodding to herself. "Shit, that's good."

* * *

 **JJD: Welcome to the team folks! Yes, we're going to be exploring the world of Remnant through the eyes of it's military. I always thought that it was a shame that the show didn't spend more time on the interactions between those that fought without Aura and those that did. So, here's my attempt to cover some of it.**

 **Don't worry, we'll still talk fighting concepts, I literally can't help it.**

 **On another note, it appears that some of you are under the impression that I'm going to take this story dark at some point and hurt you all...Of course I am, good call.**

 **But for now - *Puts on Bane mask* - Now is not the time to fear, that comes later.**

 **P.S. - I don't know if any of you watched the Lomachenko vs Linares fight over the weekend, but it was great, and Loma is the man. He actually used a lot of the techniques and systems that we'll be talking about in the story.**

 **P.P.S. - All credit to Run The Jewels for the lyrics.**


	4. Welcome to the Wolf Pack

**Cr00cy assures me that there's still a few wheels left on this wagon.**

 **Now with Fight Nerd notes at the bottom!**

 **CHAPTER 3 - Welcome to the Wolf Pack**

* * *

 **W.S. Quotebook Says:** Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success. - Edward Everett Hale

 **W.S. Playlist Says** : Trust is hard to come by. That's why my circle is small and tight. I'm kind of funny about making new friends. – Eminem

* * *

Jaune awoke to the gentle beeping of his scroll.

He looked down, and was somehow both surprised and unsurprised to find Winter gone and her bed neatly made.

 _Well, time to get today started I guess._

The floorboards creaked as he jumped down, his eyes squinting as his hand found the light. His normal morning routine of pulling on his clothes and strapping on his armor passing quickly. He stepped out into the still darkened sky and took a deep breath of the cool, crisp Atlas air.

 _Guess I'll go grab Ren and Nora, then we'll go find Chief._

He made the short walk back to their tent and knocked, as best he could, on the wooden frame of the tent.

"You guys up?"

He practically leapt back as Nora's head popped out of the tent.

"Morning Fearless Leader!"

He laughed. "I'm guessing you're feeling rested?"

"This place is awesome!" She cried.

The tent flaps opened further as Ren joined her.

"It is certainly a step up from the camping we have been doing. Don't have to worry about Grimm attacks either."

Nora frowned. "Yeah, that's the only downside."

Both boys shared a look and shook their heads.

"It about time for our morning training session?" The ninja asked.

Jaune nodded before wincing. "Yeah, about that...today might be a rough one after last night."

The boy in green raised an eyebrow in question.

"I, uh, may be sharing a tent with Winter as it turns out."

Nora's face lit up. "Scandalous!"

"You and Ren are doing the same thing." He countered.

"But I don't have to answer to Yang."

 _Oh shit._ He hadn't thought of that.

"I'm sure it will be fine." Ren comforted him.

Nora barked a laugh. "Yeah, it's not like she's the older, more beautiful sister of the girl you spent a year crushing on."

Ren shot her a look.

"Oh, was this the part where we lie to comfort him? Sorry." She patted Jaune on the shoulder. "I'm sure that Yang will react rationally about this." She then looked to Ren for approval, who just buried his face in his hands.

Jaune shook his head. "Let's just get going before we're late, and my impending doom becomes even more certain."

The duo chuckled as they exited the tent and made their way back to the common area in the center of the tents, where they found a grinning Chief Zane waiting for them.

"So," he started. "How'd you sleep?"

"I survived, no thanks to you." Jaune growled.

"Aww, don't be like that. It was all in good fun." The faunus laughed.

"You did put him in a compromising position." Ren said.

"Yang's going Super Saiyan for sure." Nora confirmed.

"Who's Yang?" Chief asked.

"His girl." Stevens chipped in, as he and Peter walked up to them.

Chief's snapped his fingers. "That's right! You brought your girlfriend with you! Hell, I've been doing this deployment thing wrong for years!"

"That's what I said!" Stevens agreed.

He turned back to Jaune. "I both feel bad for you, and not bad for you at all. Is that weird?"

Jaune sighed. "Do you feel bad enough that you could show us to the gym before we miss the 0600 deadline?"

"We can show you there, we were just heading over ourselves." Stevens offered.

"You might want to hold off on that." Chief said. "I think the First is going to want to have the gym to themselves for this session."

"But it's leg day Chief! You can't skip leg day."

"Then I guess you better start jogging. Peter should be good at that." Chief shot back.

"Not cool." The rabbit faunus responded.

"I seem to recall someone calling me 'cattle dog' the other day."

"You're always herding the newbies!"

Chief rolled his eyes. "Hilarious. Now beat it, I have Specialists to herd."

"I've never been herded before Renny!" Nora cried.

"Nora, I can assure you that various teachers would disagree with that statement."

Jaune smiled at their antics, before looking back to Chief. "Shall we?"

"But of course, your judgement awaits." Chief bowed with a flourish, before turning on heel and walking them towards a large domed structure in the distance.

"What do you think we're training on?" Nora asked.

"I imagine this is an assessment of our abilities." Ren reasoned.

"Like a test?"

"Like a test." He confirmed.

"But I HATE test!" She moaned dramatically.

"But this one most likely involves violence." Jaune offered.

Nora considered that for a moment. "This new, more violent, form of testing might have some potential." She decided.

Jaune thought he could hear Chief mutter something about 'headcase Hunters,' out of the side of his mouth.

"How long have you been doing this Chief? Herding Specialist?" Jaune asked.

The man chuckled. "I guess it depends on who you ask. Some would say we start herding Specs from the start, but I've probably been helping young Specs out for about 10 years now. Been in the military just over 20 if that's what you're asking."

"Seems like a long time."

He shrugged. "It goes by faster than you'd think. It pays well enough and it's stable. It provides for my family, that's what's important."

Jaune nodded. "Sounds kinda like my dad."

Zane recoiled in mock hurt. "Goddamn Spec, I'm not that old am I?"

Ren chuckled. "You're actually about the right age."

"Great, now I feel old." He complained.

"You said family, do you have kids?" Nora asked.

The man's grin returned. "Daughters. They're the Brother's revenge on my youth."

"How old?" Jaune asked.

"14 and 17, and determined to put me in an early grave." He said fondly.

"That bad?" Jaune laughed.

"Don't worry, I've got plenty of stories, but those are for later. We have arrived." He motioned towards the large, tan dome that stood before them.

He pulled the door open for them and revealed a gym bustling with activity. Men and women were lifting weights, both manufactured and makeshift, small groups were being led in calisthenics, a small group were sparring in a matted section of the back.

"Welcome to our prison gym." Chief declared proudly.

"I'd hardly call it that anymore." A feminine voice called to their side.

"First!" Chief greeting happily. "How'd you sleep?"

"Har Har." Winter responded. "I need you to clear out the gym."

"Yeah, I figured as much. How long do you need?"

She hummed. "Give me an hour with them."

He nodded, then brought his hands to his mouth. "Heads up troops. Specialist training is about to begin, meaning this place is going to become a warzone."

"Aren't we in a warzone?" A voice called back.

"Hilarious Martinez. It's time to move out, gym reopens at 0700. No one cares what set you're on, no one cares about your one rep max. We are clearing out."

A chorus of groans greeted him, but the sounds of weights being racked and feet shuffling to the door soon filled the room as the soldiers began to file out. When the last one had passed through the door, Chief nodded to Winter. "I'll see you at breakfast ma'am."

"Thanks Chief, and remember...I WILL get you."

He grinned as he pulled the door closed behind him. "I'm shaking in my boots ma'am."

She shook her head as the door closed, before focusing on them.

"Everyone settle in ok?" She asked.

A trio of nods met her.

"Good. Any guesses on why I called you out here?"

"To see what we can do?" Jaune answered.

She nodded again. "Quite. If we don't understand each other's limitations, then we're going to be unable to fight together effectively. So, I propose a bit of a spar."

"Yes!" Nora cried excitedly.

Winter smirked a little at that. "I thought you might be ok with that. Is anyone injured?"

All three shook their heads.

"Grand, then who's up first?"

"Ooh! Ooh! Pick me, pick me!" Nora waved her hand excitedly.

Winter raised an eyebrow at the boys. "Is she always like this?"

"You have no idea." They answered in unison.

She sighed. "Very well. Join me over at the mats."

She led them past the free weights and homemade pull up bars to a 10 x 10 meter section of stiff mats, that she and Nora took the center of. Nora began spinning Magnhild around, stretching and warming herself up.

Winter drew her saber and took up a stance that reminded Jaune of Weiss. A fencer's stance that would allow her to leap in and out of range with alarming quickness.

"Come at me whenever you're ready." She instructed calmly.

 _Nora should have a little bit of an edge here_. He thought. _She's seen Weiss' style before, and NOBODY fights like Nora._

Nora apparently agreed from the way she lunged full forward at Winter, hammer in full swing.

Winter stepped back from the swing, letting the head of the hammer pass just by her before stepping back in, thrusting a the pinkete, and causing her to take the back foot. Then, to Jaune's surprise, allowed the girl to recover. Nora nodded to her, taking up a more measured stance and beginning to circle with the specialist.

Nora struck again, waiting for Winter to repeat her in and out motion, and looking to counter her as she came back in. This time however, the older woman stepped off at an angle after delivering her strike, forcing Nora to turn to track her.

Winter struck the young girl with the flat of her blade, stepping back just enough to avoid Nora striking her with the haft of her weapon, and slapping her on the arms with her saber as she continued to retreat at angles. Nora spun, trying to bring her weapon in line with the older woman.

Jaune was flabbergasted. He'd never seen anyone take Nora apart like this. Nora's style revolved around walking an opponent down, forcing them to move backwards or forward in a linear path until they met her hammer. Winter was taking that away from her with footwork, forcing the hammer wielder to turn in place, rather than moving away from her. He took it back, Weiss had never fought like this.

A thought suddenly hit him, making his stomach sink.

 _She hasn't even used her Semblance yet._

He watched as Nora, frustration mounting, tried to force an opening. She took a small swing with her hammer, following her strike in this time, in an attempt to close with Winter. The Huntress stepped back, allowing the first strike to miss, before stepping in and jabbing Nora's face with basket hilt of saber, causing the girl to step back in surprise. She then swept her legs out from under her, driving her to the floor. Nora stared at the tip of the Winter's blade that hovered just above her face.

Winter nodded to herself in some quiet understanding, like she'd just solved a puzzle, then offered Nora a hand. As she pulled her to her feet, she smiled.

"Not bad. We work on your the way you cut off your opponent, and you just might be dangerous."

Nora smiled brightly. "That. Was. Awesome!"

The older girl shook her head. "Why am I not surprised? Who's up next?"

Ren nodded. "I'm intrigued to see how I match up."

"Then hop on up" She encouraged.

The young man fist bumped his partner as he took her place in the center of the mat, and pulled out his Storm Flowers.

She nodded to him, signaling their start, and he immediately began firing the submachine guns, not eager to close distance with her after watching Nora's encounter with the woman. It appeared to be working at first, keeping the Huntress dancing at range, her blade constantly in motion to catch the rounds. But then Jaune saw how she was moving, slowly closing distance each time she'd change direction, waiting for her moment.

Jaune's watched his friend nervously, he'd long since memorized the capacity of Storm Flower's magazines, and Ren should be just about-

 _Click_

Empty.

The speed with which she covered the remaining distance was astounding. She thrust at the boy, causing him to leap out of way, before attempting to close in where his daggers could mean something. Winter calmly moved back, staying just out his reach, her blade flicking out again and again as it struck the boy's sides and arms.

After one particularly stinging blow to the side of Ren's head, she thrust her blade into his stomach, causing him to double over with a grunt, before slamming the hilt of her blade into the back of his head, driving him to the floor.

Jaune winced. _That looked less than gentle._

"You ok?" Winter asked.

Ren groaned.

She winced. "That last hit may have been a bit much." She helped him to his feet. "You're fast." She complimented.

He brushed himself off. "Not fast enough apparently."

She hummed. "I can see why you two work well together, you cover each other's weaknesses." She turned to face Jaune. "And then there was one."

He nodded and adjusted Crocea Mors on his arm.

"Any words of wisdom?" He asked his friend as he left the mat.

Ren smirked. "She's good."

Jaune rolled his eyes. "Thanks."

Ren shrugged. "What are brothers for?"

 _I can't touch her on skill, maybe I can make her flustered._

"You ready roomie?" He asked as he drew his sword.

She raised an eyebrow. "You sure that's how you want to start this off?"

He shrugged. "I have a feeling that it's not going to matter too much."

She smirked. "At least make it interesting."

He nodded a deployed his shield, holding out in front of him as he took up his familiar stance, slowly closing in on the Huntress in white.

She lashed out, her blade clanging off his shield, the force of the blow sending vibrations coursing through his arm. She hopped back, obviously anticipating a counter.

None came.

She tilted her head curiously as she observed the boy standing firm behind his shield. She shook her head, leaping in and slamming her sword into his shield multiple times before stepping back, but slowly this time. His eyes flashed.

 _This is my chance!_ He thought.

He swung, a diagonal strike aimed for her shoulder. She parried it down and away. As she did for the next strike, and the next, and the next.

He couldn't decide what pissed him off more, the fact that she finally just lowered her blade, or the confused look on her face.

"What are you playing at?" She asked.

He shook his head agrily. "Trying to get you to fight me!"

She dropped her blade to her side. "Hit me."

He growled as he thrust his blade forward. She stepped off to the side, slapping his legs with her blade as he passed by.

 _I've got to do something to get her to engage!_

He thrust Crocea Mors into its sheath, transforming the blade into a greatsword and hefting the blade with both hands.

"Your sister is a willing dance partner!"

"Yeah?" She answered lazily.

He swung again, his large blade sailing by as she stepped out of the way with frustrating composure.

"Yeah, she's not so cold around me."

"Intriguing." She deadpanned, leaning out of the way of another strike.

"Dammit!" He cried, once again separating sword from shield.

"I thought we already tried this dance." She drawled.

"Try this!" He hurled his shield at her like a discus, causing her to jerk her head out the way to avoid the improvised projectile. He lunged forward at the opening, thrusting at her midsection.

 _This is it!_

The Specialist reacted with unreal speed, whipping her left arm around to catch his wrist as she stepped in, bringing the blade of her saber to his throat.

"I'm guessing that doesn't come back to you, does it?" She growled.

"Not really sure, only tried it the once before." He quipped.

"We have guns you know, they're real good at sending things on one way trips."

"I've always been a classics type of guy. Guns aren't really my style."

She raised an eyebrow and shifted the blade closer, coming into contact with his Aura. "And what is your style?"

"Get you flustered so you'll make a mistake." He half asked.

She cocked her head to the side. "That was your plan? Who the hell would…" Her eyes narrowed. "Qrow."

"Got it in one!" Nora shouted from the side of the mat.

She sighed and held up a hand for him to stop. "So I know where you got your trash talk, but who taught you the sword?"

"Pyrrha Nikos." He stated defiantly.

Her eyes narrowed. "For how long?"

He sighed. "Six months."

"What!?" She cried. "How are you still alive?"

"I fight mean?" He tried nervously.

She rolled her eyes. "That's the most Qrow thing that I've heard all day."

He sheathed his sword and rubbed the back of his head. "I mean..."

"Jaune." She started seriously. "You don't understand offense do you? You don't strike with your shield, you don't vary your rhythm, you don't ever feint. You just barrel forward behind that shield."

He opened his mouth to retort, but she cut him off.

"I'm not interested in you're smart remarks, I'm interested in you pulling your weight." She shifted her gaze to Ren and Nora. "All of you."

"We've been pulling our weight!" He snapped. "The three of us haven't stopped fighting since Beacon."

She shook her head. "That's just it, it's not about the three of you anymore." She pointed to the entrance of the tent. "It's about them. It's about the team." She leaned towards him. "You need to be better. WE need to be better. We WILL be better."

With that, she pushed past him and walked out of the tent.

The three sat in silence for a moment, eyes finding their way to the floor.

"Well, at least we're making new friends." Nora chipped in.

* * *

Team RWBY and JNR sat at the long, communal breakfast table, in the large dining tent, surrounded by the din of clanking silverware and low conversation. Jaune was poking at what he was told were eggs absentmindedly.

"Got some of that Schnee charm already, huh?" Qrow asked from his place across from the knight.

He groaned. "That obvious?"

The Hunter grunted. "We'll you're typically a mopey sonuvabitch, but not this bad angst-knight."

He rolled his eyes. "Har har. You deal with her."

"That bad?"

"She is very...stern." Ren offered.

Nora leaned in, mouth full of pancakes. "He mean she's kinda a bit-"

"I'll thank you not to talk about my sister that way!" Weiss interrupted.

"She can't be that bad." Ruby agreed. "I mean, we thought that about Weiss, but look at how well she turned out!"

"Hey!" The girl in white cried.

"What'd she do to you anyway?" Qrow asked.

Jaune sighed. "Slapped us around a little-"

"My favorite past-time."

"-told us we sucked-"

"You do."

"-that we weren't ready for the team."

The older man shrugged. "None of you are, that's normal. What did she say you needed to fix by the way?"

"Said my offense was terrible, made a pretty big show of it."

"Oh." He nodded. "That's definitely true."

Jaune choked on his food. "YOU taught me!"

Qrow snorted. "I had like a month, I was trying to make sure you didn't die, not that you'd be one-shotting Deathstalkers. Sorry kid, but I'm with Ice Queen on this one. You're basically a turtle."

Yang wrapped an arm around him from her place beside him, roughly shaking him from side to side. "Awww, but you're my little turtle champ! I'm sure you'll be able to thaw out the Ice Queen eventually." She comforted.

Jaune watched as an evil grin spread over Nora's face. "Nora don't!"

She ignored him. "Well, he'll certainly have time...now that they're roomies and all."

He felt Yang's hand seize on his shoulder. "What now?" She asked.

He glanced around the table, and found that they now had everyone's full attention. Blake has sat her book down, her ears now standing up straight. Weiss' jaw was hanging open in shock. Ruby was warily eyeing her sister.

Someone had to save him. He looked to Qrow.

The older man coughed, collected his tray, and stood.

"Well, enjoy that shit kid." And with that, his lifeline was gone.

"So, Ladykiller." Yang's voice cut through the young knight's thoughts. "You're sleeping with Winter?"

Weiss scoffed. "Winter would never stoop to-" She was cut off by Yang's raised hand.

He choked on air. "We're just in the same tent!"

She cocked her head. "Do you know who I'm in a tent with? Ruby, Blake, and Weiss. You'll notice that there's a strange disparity in our situations."

"See! You both get a Schnee!" Nora added helpfully.

"Nora, you're not helping!" He shot back.

Ren cleared his throat. "I believe that Jaune has fallen victim to a bit of a prank war between Specialist Schnee and Chief Zane."

"Exactly!" Jaune shouted, exasperated.

Yang hummed and drummed her fingers on the table. "This situation displeases me." She said in a mock regal voice. "Well, for now, all parties shall be allowed to live."

"Thank you your highness." Jaune shot back sarcastically.

"You are quite welcome. RWBY, we're off!" She shouted, before collecting her tray and rising to her feet.

"It'll get better Jaune, you just have to deal with the initial cold front." Ruby comforted.

"Ruby, stop taking pun notes from your sister!" Weiss chastised.

Jaune looked to Blake. "Any advice?"

Blake shook her head as she stood. "Good luck with that. I'm still trying to figure out how to survive Yang."

"I'll let you know if I ever get any ideas." He offered as team RWBY started to make their way to the exit.

Jaune sighed and turned to Oscar.

"Oscar."

"Yeah Jaune?"

"Women are both terrifying and impossible."

He hummed. "The Professor says that you're learning a lesson that men have been learning since the beginning of time."

He snorted. "I guess he'd know. Did he have any advice from all that time?"

The younger boy smirked. "He's laughing pretty hard right now."

"Well fuck."

"There you three are."

The members of team JNR turned to see Chief Zane making his way to their table.

"How'd this morning go?" He asked.

He was met with a trio of glum stares.

He nodded. "Sounds about right." He looked over to Oscar. "Uh, are you lost?"

"Are you asking if I somehow got lost and found my way to a remote military base?" The boy deadpanned.

The faunus raised an eyebrow. "Well, it's that or we're recruiting child soldiers now, so…"

Oscar sighed. "I'm with Qrow."

"See, you said that like it explains something, but now I'm about to call child protective services."

Jaune nodded. "That's a good idea, you should definitely do that. I can provide a description on Qrow if you need it."

Ren placed a hand over the knight's mouth. "Oscar really doesn't have anywhere to go, so one of the conditions for us coming here was allowing him to accompany us in a...support role."

Zane wasn't convinced. "I don't know if that was wise."

"No, Oscar can take care of himself! He can do flips, cane tricks, and fight Grimm!" Nora argued.

"She's saying I have my Aura unlocked." He explained.

"Oh." Chief said. "Standard Hunter bullshit then, carry on." He turned back to JNR. "You guys want to see the teams run through some exercises?"

The blond knight shrugged. "Sure. What kind of exercises?"

"Do we get to shoot things?" Nora asked.

"You get to watch people shoot things." Chief offered.

Ren nodded. "I've been wondering how the teams we'll be working with operate."

Chief smiled. "Then let's go. You'll get to see Stevens take a crack at it if we hurry." He gestured towards Oscar. "Want to join us?"

"Sure."

They rose and began to file out of the mess hall. After they started to weave their way through the sea tents, Chief looked over his shoulder to the team.

"So, trouble in paradise still?"

"You could say that." The blond grunted.

"They're having a lovers' spat." Nora said.

The older man chuckled. "I'd watch where you say that, you'll start rumors."

"Nora behave." Ren admonished.

"Fine." She sighed.

"You kids, sorry, you Specs are alright."

"Well at least you're a fan." Jaune said. "Where are we going anyway?"

"The shoot house, or shoot village in this case. We've got a series of fake houses set up that we use for training for operations in urban terrain."

"Isn't it a little late for that kind of training?" Ren asked.

Chief hummed and glanced at the green boy. "You're sharp kid. Yeah, we've only really started focusing on those kind of training recently. We're usually focused on the Grimm, but with the increase in Fang operations...well, we make do."

He looked off into the distance for a moment before continuing. "Grimm are easy. You see them, you point, you shoot. People...fuck, people are terrifying. They think, they scheme, they try to find the most efficient and cruel ways to hurt. Worst of all, they look just like you and me." He grimaced. "When you kick down the door to a home, how do you tell the difference between who just lives there and who is using it as a hideout?"

The young knight winced, remembering his own raven-haired monster. "Yeah, people can be rough. How do you tell the difference?"

"It's a judgement call, one we've fucked up too many times, which leads to new Fang members. It's why we have the shoot house, to prevent those kinds of mistakes."

"A noble goal." Oscar observed.

The man grunted. "No one here is trying to make orphans of faunus children, there's too many of those already. The more pain we cause, the more enemies we have, and unfortunately, we've caused a lot of pain."

Nora rested a hang on the man's arm, causing him the stir from his thoughts. "You did your best, it's all we can do." She said with a small smile.

He smiled back at her. "Thanks Spec, that means a lot. But doing our best doesn't mean that we can't do better. We NEED to do better. Speaking of which, we're here." He nodded towards a series of shoddily constructed buildings surrounds wall that stood a few meters tall. The buildings stood different heights and widths.

Jaune squinted and tried to imagine what each one meant. This one looked like a home, that one a business, the next...a small school.

 _If it's here, it means they've had to deal with it before._ He thought grimly.

"We'll be hanging out up there." He pointed to a white two-story building, sitting on a small hill adjacent to the shoot houses, with a patio on the second floor. "That'll be the best place to watch the action from."

Jaune nodded and they began making their way up the hill towards the observation point. As they approached, the doors opened up and Stevens, Peter, Tom, Sam, and Ricky, as well as a small collection of other soldiers filed out. The burly man's face brightened when he saw them.

"Well if it isn't our fearless leaders! Come to watch us take out some imaginary bad guys?"

Nora coughed. "There is only one F.L., I've declared him so."

Jaune shook his head. "Don't worry about her, and yeah, we're interested in watching you guys work."

The young NCO smirked and turned back to his team. "You folks hear that? We're being watched this time out, best put on a show."

Peter chuckled. "Don't we always?"

Sam shrugged. "If Hunters want to see how it's done, I don't have any objections."

Chief Zane rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, you're all real badasses. Get to the starting point and await the signal."

Stevens grinned and adjusted his rifle. "You got it boss. Let get a move on guys." With a wave of his hand, the eight soldiers began to make their way down the hill.

"Try not to embarrass yourselves down there!" Chief called after them.

Stevens waved back at them from over his shoulder.

"Cocky asshole." Chief muttered. "Let's get up top."

They made their way to the top of the stairs once in the building and lo the patio overlooking the mock compound.

Jaune watched as Stevens' team lined up along the wall outside of false town, readying themselves and prepping for the signal. It came with the harsh sound of an airhorn being sounded from the observatory.

The team moved as one, pouring through the gate with Stevens at their head, Their weapons pointed out in all directions as they swiftly moved to their target, scanned over windows and doors, checking every potential ambush site.

Not a word was spoken, but none were needed. Everyone understood their place, everyone understood their task.

"Are you starting to get it?" Chief's voice called out to him. "The reason why the First cleared out the gym before your training session?"

He watched as they reached the base of the small house. They formed a stack outside the front door, lining up along the outside wall. Stevens tapped the man behind him, asking silently if he was ready, as he patted the man behind him, and so the message traveled down the line, then back up again, till it reached Stevens once more.

"It's not because she thinks Specs are privileged enough to have private sessions." His eyes were glued to the team on the ground. "It's because they're already a team, and you're going to need their respect to lead them. Respect that she wasn't sure that she'd be able to help you earn while beating the hell out of you this morning."

The team rushed through the door, following Stevens' lead. Jaune watched and listened as flashes of light came through the windows of the house and the clatter of gunfire filled the air. With the press on a button, Chief Zane brought up a video feed showing the inside of the house.

Stevens and Peter were working in tandem, bursting into room after room, putting well placed rounds into man shaped target holding a weapon after manned shaped target, while skipping over those that were unarmed.

"The First gives a shit, and I can tell you do too. Hear her out, you might find that she has something to offer."

The team charged up the stairs, their boots echoing off the wood in the narrow hallway as they held their weapons to the their shoulders, constantly pointed ahead. They reached the top floor, and the gunfire commenced again as the team swept over every inch of the floor, ensuring that all threats were neutralized, before Stevens reached up to his ear, and spoke.

"Command, site one is secure."

Chief pressed another button, opening the channel. "Roger that. Stand down Alpha team. Good work." He looked over to JNR. "What'd you think?" He asked with a grin.

Nora was practically vibrating on the spot. "That. Was. Awesome! They were like bam! And pow! And bang!"

He chuckled. "I suppose they were. I'll be sure to include it in the evaluation."

"They're amazing." Jaune agreed, and Ren nodded in acknowledgement.

"They're ok, but not as good as our team."

Zane smirked as his eyes traveled over to Chief Bryan, standing in the doorway on the patio, leaning against its frame.

"Is that so? What are you willing to bet?" He shot back.

Bryan stroked his chin. "I'd say a beer, but I don't see that happening out here. What about a case of energy drinks?"

"You're on."

Chief Bryan looked over his shoulder. "You hear that Robin? You're up."

A young woman with short brown hair and tan skin, pushed her way past the older man. "Who am I competing against?" She looked down at the complex and watched as Alpha exited the building they'd just assaulted. "Stevens? Aww Chief, you should've bet two cases."

"Brag after you win." Zane advised.

"You're just mad that the Ursa are going to show up the Beowolves again." She shot back.

"Yeah yeah. Get down there already."

She threw him a mock salute and made her way back down the stairs to collect her team.

Zane shook his head. "Kids these days."

Bryan elbowed him in the side. "You don't have to be jealous that we have her, and you have to deal him Stevens."

"Is the party up here?" They heard Qrow's voice call as it made its way up the stairs.

Jaune smiled as the older Hunter creasted the stairs. "And you're late as always."

"Fashionably late, Ladykiller." Yang corrected as she came up behind the Hunter.

"Of course, how could I make such a mistake?"

She shrugged "Well, clearly I'm doing all the heavy lifting in the fashion department."

"Cleary." Weiss agreed as she appeared. "I can't believe you're still wearing that damn hoodie."

"Ooh! Do you want to know how he got it?" Ruby offered with a grin.

"Ruby! That's a team RNJR secret!" Jaune warned.

Yang placed a hand over his mouth. "Ruby, there are no secrets between sisters."

Blake hummed in agreement as she leaned against the door. "I agree Ruby, spill."

She leaned towards her team. "Well, let's say that it involves some 50 odd Pumpkin Pete's box tops."

Yang's grin widened as Jaune groaned.

She leered at him. "You are the MOST adorkable. How are we dating again?"

"It's a question I ask a lot."

Nora popped him on the back of the head. "It's because he's the most attractive batchelor this side of Renny."

"Debatable." Weiss said.

Yang shrugged. "I've been happy with my purchase."

"Strange bedfellows indeed." Blake chuckled.

Yang nudged her partner. "You're just mad monkey boy isn't around."

The cat faunus blushed. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Uh-huh."

Chief Bryan looked to Qrow. "Is it like this ALL the time? I feel like we should be giving them the talk."

The Hunter sighed. "You get numb to it after a while. Though you have my permission to hit the kid if you want."

"Is that anyway to talk to your future nephew?" Jaune asked, sending a few blushes around the room.

"Correction, you have my permission to hit angst-knight HARD."

Bryan shook his head. "Let's just focus on task at hand. Robin's team is in place."

Yang perked up. "I like that girl, she's a badass, slaying Grimm left and right from what I heard, Aura be damned."

Bryan smiled. "Yeah she is." He pressed a button on the console. "Bravo, mission start."

Robin's team started flowing through the gate, moving with the same deadly efficiency as Alpha, sweeping through the false town.

Qrow spoke up as they watched. "Do you kids know why they pair up Specialist with the teams?"

He took their silence as an answer.

"It's because Specialist are a worth their weight in gold. Superpowered soldiers that can hold back the Grimm and Fang alike." He paused for a moment, watching as the team rushed the house. "But I ain't seen a Semblance yet that lets you see the shot that comes from behind. They're there to keep you alive, so you can keep fighting."

"Are you saying they're disposable?" Jaune asked, disbelief apparent in his voice.

Both Chiefs stilled, but said nothing.

Qrow grunted. "Nobody wants to use that word, but that's how it is in the eyes of the brass - your lives are worth more than theirs. They're trained to protect you. Never forget that when you're working with them, they're willing to give up everything for you, treat them with the respect they deserve, Aura or no."

"But why don't they have their Aura unlocked?" Ruby asked.

He sighed. "That's the million lien question isn't it? No one really understands Aura fully, but from what experience tell us, unlocking the Aura is a risky proposition. It's a major shock to the system, it's like finding out you have an extra arm, it can kill or paralyze in some cases. What we have been able to figure out is that you can mitigate it by starting the preparation training from an early age, it gets dicey after that."

"What about Jaune?" The red reaper asked.

Qrow snorted. "Who the fuck knows. I've stopped trying to figure the kid out. I just know he's a weird anomaly. Given his survival instincts, I'm shocked that he's alive at all, regardless of Aura."

"Thanks coach." The knight shot back.

"You're welcome." He laughed before continuing. "People aren't willing to stand on the sidelines though, they want to fight, so they do, regardless of the extra risk. That's just the way it goes"

They watched as the team on the ground finished clearing out the house and called it in.

"Remember what those guys and gals are putting on the line for you."

Chief Zane grunted. "It's nothing we didn't sign up for."

Qrow smiled back. "I know you did. You crazy bastards."

They spent the rest of the afternoon watching the teams run through exercise after exercise, practicing different techniques and team leaders as they moved from building to building. All the while, the two Chiefs bickered back and forth, trying to keep up with times and scores.

Jaune took another look at the assembled and joking team, sighed and made a decision. He had to try, even if it was going to suck.

 _I owe it them._

* * *

Jaune trudged his way back from the mess tent, walking slower than he had to through the dimly lit camp.

He wasn't particularly thrilled about the conversation that he was going to try to start up when he got back to the tent.

 _You can't avoid her forever._ He thought. _Might as well rip this bandage off early._

He found himself standing in-front of the tent.

 _You can do this. Just think of it like talking to Weiss on steroids._

He slowly pulled back the tent flap and poked his head inside.

She was sitting at the lone desk, headphones on and humming along to the something as she looked over the folders spread out before her. She was dressed in the same baggy shorts and t-shirt as before.

He waited for her to take notice of him for a moment, before sighing and knocking on the wooden frame of the tent.

She popped her head up and pulled her headphones down, looking to him.

"Uh, hi." He started.

 _God you're smooth._

"I, um…"

"We got off on the wrong foot today." She interrupted him.

He blinked.

 _What?_

She sighed. "I know I was harsh."

"You just came off a little…"

"Like a bitch?"

"I was going to say strong."

She gave him a small smile. "To tell you the truth, I'm not too experienced at this."

He snorted. "Yeah, I'm sure."

"No really, you're actually the first Specs that I've ever had working for me. It's usually always me working solo or with just the teams. I-I'm not really sure how to handle you guys."

He laughed at that, he couldn't help it. "You think you're confused? We're still not sure what all the ranks mean."

She winced. "Yeah, we should probably fix that. It's just...I need you to understand how important this is. How fragile the team can be."

He nodded. "We've lost someone too."

"I know." She whispered. "And your girlfriend…"

"Yang."

"Yeah, her. I take it the arm is new."

"Yeah…"

She straightened. "Well, I'll stop trying to play the drill sergeant if you'll help me with wrangling the team."

He smiled. "You've got yourself a deal." His eyes wandered over to the table. "What are you looking at anyway?'

She hummed. "Want to learn something? I'll warn you, it's super boring."

"I'm all ears."

She motioned for him to come over, and started to point through the documents. "These are the the records of the team. Look over them and tell me what you see."

He began flipping through the pages, eyes scanning over the information written there. "I'm seeing service histories, special training, ranks…"

"Good, and why do you think that matters?"

 _What's she getting at?_

He scanned the documents again, trying to find the logic behind it.

 _What would I be looking for at Beacon?_

It hit him. "You're trying to decide on the team composition."

"And they said you Beacon kids were slow."

He raised an eyebrow. "Your sister attended with us."

"Who do you think the they in that sentence was?"

He laughed. "Ok, so we've established that I'm a smart monkey, what questions should I be asking?"

"Take a look at Stevens' and Peter's files."

He shifted them to the top. "Ok."

"What about their service sticks out you?"

He scanned over the histories. "Peter's been deployed more." His eyes widened. "Damn, a lot."

"And what question does that make you ask?" She urged.

"Why isn't he leading the team instead of Stevens?"

She nodded. "Logical. What do you think?'

He sighed. She wasn't making this easy.

He looked to the reports once more, and the answer hit him like a ton of bricks.

"All of his deployments are Grimm incursions. Stevens training and deployments have all been focused on the Fang."

She raised her hands in the air in triumph. "He can be taught!"

He chuckled. "Thanks, what else?"

She hummed. "Well, we still need to sort through alternates, and who needs to learn what positions."

"Sounds exciting." He deadpanned.

"Soldiering isn't exciting about 90% of the time. Buttttt, if you want to talk about something else, we can talk about your offense."

"Let's hit those books!" He said, anxious to change the subject.

She chuckled and continued. "Who's the next best choice in your mind?"

He smiled as he looked back to the forms.

 _Maybe this won't be so bad afterall._

"By the way…"

She started slowly. Jaune looked up at her.

"...what IS the deal with you and my sister?"

 _Or not._

* * *

Omake (probably canon)

Turnabout is Fair Play

(Shoutout to Engineer1869)

"Ok, one or two?" Yang asked.

Blake groaned. " Why do I have to be a part of this again?"

"Blake, this is super important, and I need your opinion as my probational best friend." The brawler patiently explained.

"Wait, probational?"

"That's not important right now. What is important is you helping me figure this out. So I ask once again-" The underwear clad blond held up a uniform blouse in one hand, and a pair of pants in the other. "-Sexier with pants no top, or blouse no bottoms?"

The raven-haired girl sighed. "Can we just-where did you even get those?"

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Does it look like I get refused much? Besides, the supply guy said uncle Qrow had already asked for some, so he was ok with forking them over." She tilted her head in contemplation. "It is weird that he only picked them up in his sizes though…"

"Probably best not to think about." Blake advised. "Kinda like how I'm trying not to think about this conversation we're having right now."

Yang scoffed. "Oh please, knowing your reading habits, this is the least racy thing you'll think about all day."

"They're not like that!"

Yang smirked. "You look me in the eye and you tell me that this exact thing hasn't happened in at LEAST one of them."

The faunus girl's eyes shifted to the side. "Well...I mean…"

Yang put on a high-pitched voice. "'Oh sir! I hear you wanted to see me in your tent, but it's so late at night.'"

She switched to a mock baritone. "'Well private, you know how important good morale and discipline are to the unit, and I'm just not sure you're committed.'"

She swooned. "'Oh please sir! I'll do ANYTHING to prove myse-'"

"STOP!" Her partner shouted, desperately trying to figure out which set of ears to cover. "I'm begging you to stop, I"LL do anything to shut you up."

"Nah, begging isn't really my thing kitty-kat. Although, maybe…"

"It's the pants! Wear the damn pants with no top, and we will NEVER speak of this again."

Yang grinned. "See? Was that so hard?" She set down the combat fatigues. "And I agree, we don't need to talk about it anymore. These dress uniforms I bribed off Robin on the other hand…"

Blake slammed her head down onto her book.

"What are you guys up to?" Nora asked as she poked her head in the tent.

"Nora run!" Blake warned.

The pinkete's eyes looked over the uniforms Yang was holding up.

"Blake, shut up, I'm already on board with whatever this is."

"That's my girl!" Yang cheered.

It was going to be a long night the raven-haired girl decided.

* * *

 **AN: Hope you all are enjoying the story! I've noted from some of the response, that some of my comments have apparently led people to believe that I just don't like Jaune. Not the case my friends, I'm a big Jaune fan - hence this and the last story existing. That being said, I don't believe in easy roads to your goals - I just haven't found one yet in real life. As such, I look at the tools Jaune has - a lot of Aura, an iron will, and smarts (and a smart fucking mouth, but that's partially me just writing him that way) - and I see a path to being who he wants to be in front of him. It's not an easy path however, it's one that's filled with mistakes and making up for a late start in the Hunter's life - often at the cost of beatings, but it's there. That's why Jaune's growth has been, and will always be, meticulous with me, because it's something I can believe. There's lots of great stories out there with super powerful Jaunes, and maybe we'll get there, but this is about the journey.**

 **Speaking of learning, I didn't realize how young Winter is till writing this story. She's like 5-6 years older than Weiss according to CRWBY, which puts her at 23-24. Do you know how many things I was fucking up as a young officer at 23-24? All of them. She's got a lot of pride, and a lot to prove, but she's still got to be real young in her career. She's closer to a Jaune than a Qrow.**

 **Fight Nerd Corner: We finally get to have these talks (read: listen to me ramble) again! So, in this chapter we have JNR taking on Winter in a sparring match...which does not go well for them. Some may balk at how poorly it goes, but I'd offer you this - the gap in skill that 5-6 years of experience provides you is vast. It is both fascinating and surreal how you go from the bottom of the food chain (where beatings are a fact of life) to a place where even decent practitioners aren't really a threat anymore in that time. I have vivid memories of not being able to hit sparring partners in the past because they were just that much better than me. In short, anything can happen in a fight, but if you're on the wrong side of the experience gap with someone still in their prime - prep for a long night.**

 **Now for the technique breakdown. Winter is using a combination of angles and what some call box stepping with her footwork to confuse Nora and Jaune here. Some of the basic ideas are that retreating in a straight line is generally bad for your health. If I observe that you're pulling straight back each time, then I can anticipate where your head is going to be and target it as you retreat. Think throwing a punch to make you back up, then a head kick to where you're pulling back to. Winter is getting around that by coming in, striking, and then cutting an angle on her way out to come to Nora's side. This both protects her from a counter, and makes Nora turn to bring herself back into an attack position. The idea is that you want to circle away from your opponent's power while keeping your own in play. An excellent example of both of these can be found in championship boxer Lomachenko, who does a great job of flustering his opponents by forcing them to constantly move and adapt to his footwork (making some pros look silly in the process). You can and should attack on angles as well, but that's a talk for another day.**

 **Footwork is rarely considered sexy, but it's one of the most important aspects of fighting.**


	5. Rhythm

**Cr00cy is the man.**

 **Nerding out at the bottom once again.**

 **CHAPTER 4 - Rhythm**

* * *

 **W.S. Quote Books Says:** Everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything dances. - Maya Angelou

 **W.S. Playlist Says:** I monkey flip em with the funky rhythm I be kicking. - Nas, 'N.Y. State of Mind'

* * *

Fun fact, Jaune Arc was a sound sleeper.

With seven siblings, you pretty much had to be.

So sound a sleeper, that he didn't hear Winter get up.

So sound a sleeper, that he didn't feel something being slipped over his head.

Not so sound a sleeper however, that he could sleep through what came next.

' _GO TO SLEEP BITCH! DIE MOTHERFUCKER DIE!'_

Jaune flailed in panic, dropping from the top bunk to the hard wooden floor of the tent frame. He spun around, trying to free himself from the sheets as he looked for the source of the sound, before realizing that it was the headphones he was now wearing. He ripped them off in a huff, turning around to find a fully dressed Winter staring at him.

"Oh good, you're awake." She deadpanned.

"What the hell!?" He spat.

"Language. Also, you weren't waking up."

"And you thought this was the best method?!"

"I called your name. Twice." She informed him. "Now get dressed, we have shit to do."

"What happened to language?"

She tsked. "I'm the boss, that's what happened."

"That's a double standard!"

"Yeah, welcome to life. Now if you're done, we've got work to do."

* * *

It was early, Jaune decided. Far too early.

He had it on good authority that the sun was supposed to be up before you were.

He looked around the gym and found it almost empty, save for a few soldiers running on the treadmills in the corner.

His eyes turned to Winter, far too chipper as she stretched out.

"So what did I do to warrant all this one-on-one attention." Jaune complained.

Winter sighed. "Because all of your friends understand who they are as fighters and you still have no idea."

"Hey, I do alright!" He challenged.

"Is that how you remember our fight going?"

He tsked. "That was a one time thing. I know what I'm doing."

"Ok then, tell me about rhythm."

"I've got great rhythm, you should see me dance." He quipped.

She looked like she was contemplating stabbing him.

"Tell me about rhythm as it applies to fighting."

He stared at her blankly.

She ran a hand down her face. "Gods, did Qrow teach you anything besides how to throw dirt in your enemy's eyes?"

Jaune gave an embarrassed cough. "You know, funnily enough, he's not a huge fan of the 'dirt in the eyes' thing."

She shook her head and stood in front of him. "Ok Jaune, I want you to copy me."

"I don't think I can pull off white as well as you can."

"Jaune….I'm going to hurt you." She warned.

He gulped. "Ready to listen, ma'am."

"Better."

She began clapping her hands in a slow, steady pattern that he took up, keeping time with her.

"Good." She commended. "Fighting Jaune, is all about rhythm, yours and theirs. Your goal in any fight is to impose your rhythm on your opponent while disrupting theirs."

She began clapping her hands together at a faster rate and he followed suit. "If your rhythm, your pattern, is constant - like our clapping is now, then it's easy to recognize, even if it's coming quickly. You haven't had any problems keeping up so far, right?"

He shook his head, and she began to slow her clap again.

"But what if we start to vary that rhythm?"

She gave two fast claps in a row that Jaune struggled to catch before returning to her steady pace.

After a few moments, she gave a long, slow clap that made him force himself to break from his familiar pattern.

She smirked at him. "Good, now let's try a little faster, shall we?"

Two fast claps were followed by a slow clap, which was followed by a return to the steady pace, then another slow clap, then another series of fast claps.

He had lost the pattern almost immediately and held his hands dumbly in front of him, his shoulders starting to sag.

She chuckled. "Don't take it so personally Jaune, it takes time. What did you learn?"

"That I suck at clapping?"

She rolled her eyes. "That you can't just swing for the fences all the time. It's by varying the speed and intensity of your assault that you disrupt an opponent's rhythm. Also, that if you're the one initiating the attack, you can pick the rhythm, at least in the beginning."

He thought about it for a moment. "Is there any way to counter it?"

She smiled. "Well, if you're really good, you can start to find the pattern in my 'offbeat' rhythm, and begin to counter that. Maybe I like to go fast, slow, fast, fast - if you can identify that, then you can walk me into a trap." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I think we might be a ways away from that."

He tsked. "Whatever, you'd still be jealous of my Cha Cha."

She snorted. "I'm sure." She hefted her weapon. "Now, let's see what you've got."

He nodded and took up a fighting stance. His first swing came fast, being parried by Winter's blade. His next was almost painfully slow.

Winter swatted at him with her sword. "I said vary your speed, not move in slow motion."

"You're doing the thing again." He shot back, swinging again.

She blocked the strike. "Teaching you to survive?"

"Being kind of a bit-"

He yelped as she kicked his lead leg out from under him, causing him to fall to his knees.

"Oh, I'm sorry, were you saying something? All I heard was, 'Winter, I have the survival instincts of a lemming.'"

He chuckled as he slowly picked himself up. "That is a good impression of me."

She shook her head. "Qrow has ruined you."

"I think I still have a few redeeming qualities."

"I'm all ears."

He held his head high. "There's my boyish charm to consider."

She barked a laugh. "And to think, I thought Weiss might have dated you."

He raised an eyebrow. "Maybe she was trying get back at your dad."

She opened her mouth to retort, closed it again, then tilted her head.

"Plausible."

He grinned. "I'm here to help."

She nodded. "You can start by picking yourself up off the floor."

He cocked his head. "What are you talk-" Was about as far as he got before the boot caught him.

"Did I interrupt your rhythm? Sorry about that. Guess we'll have to keep working on it for the next hour or so." She said with mock concern.

He propped himself up on his elbow. "Man, you and Qrow are a lot alike."

She eyes gleamed evilly. "You're really not getting this survival thing, are you?"

* * *

Jaune sleepy poked at his breakfast. If there was one thing he hated, it was waking up earlier than absolutely necessary. If there was one thing that he hated more, it was getting up early to his ass kicked.

"Jeez kid, rough night? Ice Queen keeping you up?" Qrow teased, earning a glare from Yang.

He shook his head ruefully. "Early morning."

"Awwww, we didn't get invited?" Nora asked disappointed.

He shot her a sideways glance. "I don't think you missed out."

Weiss hummed sympathetically. "Her methods are rather...stern at times."

"I'm going to be offended if you say she's got me beat." Qrow quipped.

Jaune chuckled. "It's different, you're just an asshole…

Qrow took a small bow.

"...she makes you feel like you've disappointed her."

Weiss nodded. "She's really good at it."

"Ladykiller, you're only a slight disappointment." Yang comforted him, wrapping him up in a side-hug.

"Awww, thanks Bright-Eyes, you always know just what to say." He laughed.

She held her chin up, "It's what I do."

He hummed. "I do think I remember reading about that in the benefits package material."

"Benefits package?" Qrow questioned, leaning across the table toward Jaune. "Do share angst-knight."

"Uh, hey uncle Qrow!" Ruby jumped in. "Wasn't there something you wanted to us to do today?"

Yang mouthed 'thank you' from across the table.

The older shot Jaune a glare from across the table. "We're going to run you kids through a couple of courses today. Let you get a feel for what it's going to be like when you're with the teams."

"When do we start?" The red-cloaked girl asked.

Qrow took a quick glance at his scroll before starting to gather his tray. "About thirty minutes. I'd say take your time, but these military folks tend to get upset about being late." He shrugged. "Buncha stiffs if you ask me."

The teams shook their heads as the older man wandered off.

"Why do you taunt him?" Blake asked Jaune.

"I don't even realize I'm doing it half the time anymore. The other half?" He shrugged. "It's fun."

"You have a twisted definition of fun." Weiss observed.

Yang grinned. "He just likes to live on the edge."

The ex-heiress rolled her eyes. "I assume that's why he's dating you?"

Yang sighed in mock frustration. "You getting it mixed up again. I'm dating Jaune, not the other way around."

Weiss looked at the blond boy.

"I'm told that this is true." He answered.

Yang wrapped her arm around his. "See? He's teachable. And I'm dating him because he's both brave and adorkable."

"Don't tell her the truth! You'll ruin this for me!" He stage-whispered to the table, earning an elbow from Yang and a giggle from Ruby.

Ren smirked at the scene and turned to Nora. "This is the man we've entrusted our lives to."

"Meh, could be worse. At least there's pancakes." She responded.

"You guys love me." Jaune shot back.

"I suppose." Ren joked. "Except for Weiss, I think she's made that clear."

The girl in white sighed. "I suppose that you've grown more acceptable with time."

Blake's eyes widened a bit. "How much have I missed?"

* * *

The collection of teens stood back in front of the small white building overlooking the shoot-house compound once again, looking over their weapons and searching for someone to tell them what exactly they'd be doing.

"Well, you're all actually on time." They heard a voice call from down the hill.

All eyes turned to watch Winter and Chief Zane making their way up the slope.

"Winter!" Weiss cried excitedly. "We missed you at breakfast."

"Sorry, but we needed to get the exercise ready for you." She explained.

"What exactly are we doing?" Ruby asked.

"You remember watching the teams yesterday? Pretty much that." Zane answered.

Winter nodded. "You'll both be making your way to the house." She turned a pointed to a small, hastily constructed, two-story building. "And trying to clear it of any 'hostiles.'"

"Are these hostiles in the form of cardboard cut outs?" Jaune asked.

"Mostly." She answered. "Qrow's down there somewhere, and a little overly excited about the prospect of 'training' you." She cocked her head at him. "I thought you two were friends?"

He sighed. "It's complicated."

She glanced down as Yang grabbed his hand reflexively. Her eyes widened a bit and she smirked.

"Oh, I see...I'll remember that for when I speak him later."

Zane shook his head, mumbling something about 'Specialists soap operas,' before looking to the teams.

"JNR, you're up first. Head down to the entrance and wait for the horn. RWBY, head up to the observation deck."

Jaune nodded and motioned to Ren and Nora, leading them down the hill.

"Knock'em dead Ladykiller!" Yang called behind him.

"Look out for uncle Qrow!" Ruby warned.

 _That last one sounds especially important._ Jaune thought ruefully.

When they reached the hole in the stone wall encircling the compound, Jaune turned to his teammates.

"Ok guys, this is different than anything we've done at Beacon, any thoughts?"

Ren stroked his chin in thought. "The teams we watched yesterday all seemed to have defined responsibilities. I remember the lead and rear soldier in particular having important roles."

Nora nodded. "They moved pretty fast too, but they were looking EVERYWHERE."

"You right." Jaune thought about it for a moment. "I've got the shield, so I can take the front. Ren, can you watch our backs?"

The ninja shot him a thumbs up. "Got it."

The blond looked to Nora and smiled. "That leaves you in the middle as our trump card."

"Aren't I always?" She grinned back.

Their conversation was cut short by the blaring of an air horn hanging above them.

Jaune shrugged. "Well troops, let's go get shot at."

With that, they ran through the entrance, weapons at the ready.

* * *

RWBY watched from the observation tower as the three-man team fell into a file, moving swiftly - if a little clumsily - down the street.

"What are we looking for Winter?" Weiss asked, as the team hit the first row of buildings, hesitating a little as they looked around, before deciding to keep on down the road.

Her sister hummed. "Watch how they move. They should be watching both around them, as well the second stories of those buildings. They're starting to drift out further into the middle of the street, which can be dangerous."

"It leaves them open to being shot at." Blake guessed.

The older woman nodded. "It's different than fighting Grimm. There you might want to be in open space, to give you room to maneuver and avoid being cornered. But against people? You're main concern is how to limit your exposure."

"So how are they doing?" Ruby asked.

Chief Bryan answered her. "Not too bad. We'll find out more here in a minute."

JNR had made their way about halfway to the target house, and was about the cross an intersection that would lead them to block it was situated on.

Yang looked around the room. "Where's Chief Bryan by the way?"

A loud crack of rifle fire cut through the air, causing the team on the ground to scramble for cover.

"There." Chief deadpanned.

"It looks like they're getting pinned down." Weiss observed.

"They don't have anyone with the range to counter that rifle." Winter replied, before scowling. "Does that boy have NO ranged options?"

"He prefers hand-to-hand." Yang defended.

"So do I, but he's got NOTHING? What did the teachers at Beacon say?"

Ruby chuckled nervously. "Jaune had a lot of ground to cover."

Weiss sighed. "She means the dunce was at the bottom of our class."

"Dammit First." Chief Zane grumbled.

They watched as Jaune pointed, and Nora fired a barrage of grenades, causing a smokescreen of pink smoke to pop up in front of them.

"But, he's not without some redeeming qualities." Weiss amended.

Team JNR rushed across the intersection, hugging close to the buildings and ducking behind cover as the moved.

"Can he fight?" Zane asked.

"Yes."

"Kinda."

Yang and Winter answered simultaneously, earning looks from the other.

Ruby looked to the older man. "Jaune's not the strongest fighter, but he's smart, and he never gives up. When we went to Haven, he rallied his team and helped lead the way."

"Sis…" Yang started.

Ruby just nudged her sister. "We all got there eventually. What I'm trying to say is that Jaune is more than the sum of his parts."

They watched as the team reached the entrance of the target house and gathered around the door.

"Yeah." Chief responded. "They seem like good kids. Let's see how they do in the house."

* * *

Jaune pressed against the wall next to the front door of the target building.

 _I have no idea what we're supposed to do next._

He looked at Ren and Nora, who both shot him a thumbs up.

 _Well, here goes nothing._

He nodded in return, then burst through the door, his shield up and ready.

"Boop."

He didn't have time to turn and look to see who had spoken from his periphery before he was blasted off his feet, his Aura crackling with the impact.

Jaune scrambled back to his feet, watching as the figure intercepted Nora coming in the door, preventing her from bringing her hammer into play, and blocking the way for Ren.

 _Guess we found Qrow._

He charged forward, lowering his shoulder behind his shield.

Qrow kicked out at his shield, stopping him in his tracks. Jaune began to lash out with his sword, trying to drive Qrow away from the door so that Nora could join the frey. The older Hunter parried the first series blows before slamming his blade into Jaune's shield, driving the knight into the doorway.

"Nora!" The boy called out, crouching so the girl could aim her grenade launcher over his shoulder.

She fired into the room and Jaune raised his shield to take the brunt of the damage. The explosions rocked the small building, driving Jaune back into the frame of the door as the heat of the flames rolled over him.

He peaked over his shield just in time to catch a fist to the face.

"You crazy sonuvabitch!" Qrow growled.

Jaune stumbled back out of the building, Qrow hot on his heels. A boot to the stomach sending him to ground. The man moved in, locking Nora in a clinch, while firing at Ren over her shoulder, causing the boy in green to jump back.

Qrow slammed a knee into the young Huntress, before pushing her towards her partner, and firing a round into her chest. Jaune roared as he lunged forward, his blade catching again and again on the older man's sword.

 _Fast, fast, fast, slow!_

Qrow raised his sword to block the blow he expected to come from his left, eyes widening when he saw the knight hesitate, then strike out with the edge of his shield from the right.

 _Got you, you smug bastard!_

The next sequence of events happened fast. Unfairly fast, if you asked Jaune. The dark-haired man rushed in, grabbed the boy's arm, and turning his hips into him, threw Jaune over his shoulder. The boy hit the ground with a grunt, before a boot stomped on his chest and a barrel filled his vision.

An air horn filled the air.

Qrow sighed and removed the gunblade from Jaune.

"Everybody ok?"

Nora coughed and held her stomach. "Just my pride."

The older man grunted. "See? That's why you've got to kill that shit early, so you don't have to worry about it. I suggest tequila for helping out with that."

"Can you stop standing on me now?" Jaune deadpanned.

Qrow chuckled as he stepped back. "Being on the ground should be a familiar experience for you." He held out a hand. "You did ok kid."

Jaune accepted the hand and pulled himself up. "High praise coming from you. Also, for the record, Yang prefers the be-"

Qrow swept his legs out from under him. "Smartass."

"You love me."

"No one loves you."

"I believe your niece might disagree." Ren said.

Qrow glared at the boy and Jaune shook his head frantically.

Ren held his hands up apologetically. "Sorry, I thought this was a thing."

Nora bumped him with her shoulder. "Renny! You can't get in the way of their bromance! Don't you know anything about the bro-code?"

"Nora how do you-nevermind."

Jaune laughed from his place on the ground, and a voice came over the speakers.

"Ok team, wrap it up and head up to the observation deck."

Ren helped Jaune to his feet, and the team brushed themselves off before starting their way up the hill.

* * *

The weary teens shuffled their way into the control tower, being greeted by various congratulations and condolences as they made their way through the door.

Winter corralled the teams after a few moments. "Alright, alright, let's get this show on the road." She looked to team JNR. "Your team failed the run, though the resistance you met was rather...extreme." She finished, looking over to Qrow.

He shrugged. "You told me to give the kids the real deal."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, and I'm sure there were no personal motivations."

"Nope."

She gave Jaune a sideways glance. "And might I suggest keeping talks about your...preferences for when you're not in a monitored area?"

The boy stared at her dumbly for a moment before it clicked and his cheeks flushed. "That place is miked?!"

"Quite."

His eyes locked onto Yang, who gave him a 'what are you going to do' shrug.

"Barbarians." Weiss muttered.

Winter sighed. "Jaune, tell me what your team did wrong."

He stared at his feet and shuffled. "Uh, the sniper fire threw us off."

"How did you get around it?"

"We used Nora to create a smokescreen to allow us to get through. None of us felt like we could hit him at that distance."

"You sure? You seem athletic. How far do you think you could throw your sword?" Chief Zane teased.

Jaune coughed and continued. "That got us to the house, and that's where things really started to fall apart."

"But why?" Winter questioned.

"We couldn't get through the door." He tried to explain.

"Did you use anything to neutralize or check the room before you barreled through like a boaratusk?"

"I didn't-" He paused, took a deep breath, and let it go. "No, I had no idea what was on the other side."

She nodded. "That's a dangerous place to be."

Nora stepped forward. "We recovered though! We made the room go boom!"

Winter smirked a little at that. "Recovered is a strong word. However, you did manage to salvage the situation with your...inventive use of explosives. It looked like it might have been a little hard on you however." She finished, looking to Jaune.

Before the blond teen could respond, Ren placed a hand on his shoulder. "He'll be alright. He's used to the abuse."

"It's true." The knight smiled.

"Ladykiller! We agreed to say you fell down some stairs!" Yang joined in with a smile, earning a laugh from the group.

The Specialist rolled her eyes. "Yes, you're all hilarious. JNR, do you know what you need to improve on? Your grading will be harsher next time."

They all shot her a thumbs up.

"Very well, RWBY - go get in position."

* * *

RWBY's run through the course was both better and worse than JNR's. For one, the much nimbler team covered ground with an efficiency that JNR couldn't hope to match. The surprise sniper fire also fell quiet pretty quickly after Ruby responded in kind with Crescent Rose. Things did begin to fall apart however, when they reached the house.

Ruby hit the front door in a whirlwind of petals, pushing her way into the building. She was stopped in the doorway by Winter, who met her before she could shift Crescent Rose in the small confines of the building. The smaller girl attempted to try to strike with the more experienced Huntress, couldn't get past the flickering blade of the Specialist. She could feel her sister's frustration building behind her. She had to find a way to clear the door.

It hit her.

She crash tackled Winter in a flurry of petals, driving her back. The Specialist grabbed hold of the girl, tucked, and rolled with the momentum.

Yang burst into the room to find Winter holding her smaller blade to Ruby's neck from behind.

"I'd advise dropping those gauntlets if I were you." She warned.

Yang snorted as Blake and Weiss filtered in behind her. "We've got you three to one."

"How'd that work out for JNR?"

"We're not them, and you're not Qrow."

The Specialist shrugged. "Fair enough, but I think your math is off."

Yang scowled. "What the hell are you-"

The growls started coming in from behind them.

She sighed. "Weiss, is there a glowing freakshow of beowolves behind us?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Goddammit." She lowered her gauntlet, and Winter pushed Ruby back towards her.

The young girl shifted nervously. "Sorry guys."

"Don't be." Winter informed her. "You did alright for your first time. I can see why my sister spoke so highly of you."

Ruby immediately lit up and jumped on Weiss, smothering the girl in a hug. "Weiss! You do care!"

"Get off you dunce!" The ex-heiress cried. "Winter that was supposed to be confidential!"

Her sister rolled her eyes. "You'll live. Which is more than I could have said for your team if this was real. Break it down for me ladies, what went wrong?"

Ruby hummed. "Well, I think we made it to the house ok." She accepted a small fist bump from Yang. "But I don't think I should have been the first one through the door."

"Who would you have sent?" The Specialist asked.

"Yang." She answered immediately.

"Why?"

She gestured towards her sister. "Cause Yang." She said, as if it explained everything.

"It's true." Yang chipped in.

Winter just shook her head. "What else?"

Blake stepped forward. "We should have posted someone to watch our backs while we were going in."

The Specialist nodded. "Who would you put back the-"

The crackling of the intercom system cut her off.

"First, we're getting called by Col Markus." Chief Zane's voice spoke. "Says to bring the teams."

She looked back to the teams.

"Well, it looks like your training just got accelerated."

* * *

Oscar met the teams at the entrance of the large, three-story, command building, the wing's flag flying high over the top.

"Any idea what this is about?" Qrow asked.

The boy's eyes subtly flashed. "I believe that Col Markus is interested in you, 'earning your keep.' At least, that's how I believe he put it."

"Aren't we all?" Winter drawled.

"Pssh, I remember getting specially recruited for this mission." He leaned in towards the Specialist. "Sounds like someone's jealous."

She rolled her eyes. "Specially recruited because you're a bandit."

"Ex-bandit, thank you. I went solo. Couldn't deal with my 'family' trying to control every aspect of my life."

Winter locked eyes with Weiss. "Yes…what would that be like?" She said sarcastically.

Ozpin coughed and motioned towards the door. "If we could please?"

"Right." Qrow and Winter said simultaneously, earning a look from the other.

They pushed into the building and followed Ozpin till they came to a set of stairs that led them up to the third floor, which was a sea of glowing monitors and white boards with technicians answering phones, typing away, and talking quietly in small groups.

"Wow." Jaune articulated.

"Winter, this is amazing!" Weiss said.

"Isn't it?"

The group turned to see Col Markus walking up to them. "People never really understand the amount of coordination it takes to get a fleet of airships and men out to the middle of nowhere. They think that shit's like camping, just set up the tents and you're done."

Qrow sighed. "Self-important much Tom?"

"Col Markus." Winter hastily corrected.

Markus chuckled. "You start providing value around here birdy, and THEN you can snark at me. Speaking of which, it's about time for you to start earning your keep."

"Told you." Oscar quipped.

The colonel's eyes fell on the boy. "I'm sure you did." He glanced up at Qrow. "That kid is creepy smart sometimes, like…weirdly wise. There a story behind that?"

Qrow shrugged. "He's a quick study."

Markus' eyes narrowed. "Uh-huh. Well, I know Chief Bryan has been getting you up to speed on our efforts against the Fang in this region so far, so I wanted to get your feedback as someone who's lived the insurgent lifestyle."

"He means you're a bandit." Winter clarified helpfully.

Qrow ignored her. "Tom, from what I've seen, you guys are just reacting to incidents as they develop. You try talking to the local villages yet?"

Markus considered for a moment. "Briefly, but we've been trying to stay out of their business as much as possible."

Qrow snorted. "I can assure you that they consider a turf war between the Fang and the Atlas military 'their business.' Listen, those people live here Markus, they know what's going on, what's out of place." He held up his hands. "I'm not saying they're working with the Fang, but you bet your ass they're aware of them."

"So, what are you proposing?" The colonel asked.

"Those people are scared Tom. Scared of the Fang, scared of getting caught up in this war, scared of you probably. You need to go and talk with them and let them know who you are and what you're here to do. Protect them. They're can't be too wild about the increased Atlas presence. Hell, avoiding the Atlas military is probably the reason half of them moved out here."

Col Markus sighed. "Well, you're not wrong. How do we approach 'em?"

"Ask about the Grimm and what we can do to help there. That's neutral ground, everyone hates the Grimm, regardless of their political leanings. They start to see that you're there to help, and they'll begin to open up about the rest."

The commander hummed, considering the proposal, before snapping his fingers. "Alright, I'm sold. Qrow, put them team you want together and be ready to head out to 'Banner,' first thing tomorrow morning. That's the largest settlement in the area, and the site of most of our Grimm activity."

Qrow nodded. "Sounds good to me."

"Well, start packing your shit, I'm sending both your teams in."

Qrow held up both his hands. "Whoa there Tiger-"

He grunted as Winter's elbow found his ribs.

"What I mean to say _Sir,_ is that I don't think that sending in the full force might come off a bit like an invasion, and these folks are already scared."

The commander raised an eyebrow. "And what do you suggest?"

"Send me and the kids with a few of your men you think are best suited for the job. The kids couldn't intimidate a fly-"

"Hey!" Came a few cries.

"-And without uniforms, they look like unaffiliated Hunters, which SHOULD help put some people at ease."

Markus rubbed his chin in thought. "I suppose that makes sense. Ok, you-"

"-One more thing. Sir." He quickly added with a glance to Winter.

"Yeah?"

Qrow winced. "I don't think that Specialist Schnee should accompany us on this mission."

Winter exploded. "Of all the asinine bull-"

"Specialist!" Markus barked, silencing the young officer.

He turned to the dark Hunter. "What are you getting at Qrow, cause I agree with Specialist Schnee, this sounds like getting muscled out of my own operation."

Qrow held up a placating hand. "Hey, I work for you guys now, remember? All I'm saying is that we're going into a town that might be on the verge of siding with the Fang, so there's probably some hard feelings towards Atlas there."

He looked apologetically over to Winter. "What do you think rolling in there with the daughter of the SDC president is going to look like to them?"

"I'm disowned." She growled.

"Do they know that? This isn't personal Winter, but your name and face carry a reputation with it, even if you don't want it too, same for your sister."

She silently seethed, glaring at the older man.

"Specialist Schnee." Col Markus started.

She hesitantly turned. "Yes sir?"

He sighed. "You're standing down." He quickly raised a hand to cut off any response. "But, you will be in charge of selecting those that go with Qrow and the other Specialist."

She exhaled slowly, deflating. "Yes sir."

"Get back to me by 18:00 with the names and departure time. You're all dismissed."

They all started to file out of the room, and Qrow turned over his shoulder.

"Thanks Tom."

"Qrow?"

The Hunter paused. "Yeah?"

"Don't fuck me on this."

He nodded. "Yeah."

* * *

A pea to the face roused Jaune from his thoughts.

His gaze shifted over to Yang, trying to somehow look innocent, while at the same time still holding her spoon catapult from across the dining hall table.

"Lien for your thoughts Ladykiller?"

He sighed. "I'm just trying to take it all in, you know?"

She cocked her head to the side. "What's to take in? We run, we gun, we take down Adam. I'm real excited about that last part by the way."

He shook his head. "You're so simple."

"Careful now, why do you think I'm dating you?"

"Touche. I just...I'm nervous you know?"

She rolled her eyes. "You're lack of confidence is not one of your sexy qualities. Why does it need to be a life or death situation for you to feel like you're good enough?"

Weiss pointed at him with her fork. "It's true, you've improved over these last few months, you should be more confident."

"Yeah, like when you kept asking Weiss out. No fear." Ruby said.

The heiress winced. "I take it back, your current level of self-esteem is fine by me."

Jaune groaned. "Are we ever going to let that go?"

Blake lowered her book to look at him. "I don't think that's going to happen. Nora, on a scale of one to ten, how likely is that to happen?"

The girl considered it for a moment, chewing her food. "Division by zero is more likely." She grinned evilly. " Unless there's another Schnee sister you'd like to talk about."

Jaune's gaze flicked over to Yang in a panic, then back to Weiss. "H-hey, remember that time I stood with a boombox outside your dorm room? That was crazy right?"

"You never did that."

"Work with me Weiss!"

He again came under the assault of Yang's spoon catapult.

"Calm down Loverboy, I'm over it."

"She's mostly over it." Blake offered.

"She's kinda over it." Ruby confirmed.

Yang shook her head. "Ignore the peanut gallery. What are you nervous about?"

"I barely know these people, and now I'm supposed to be taking them to Banner without Winter."

"You've never needed someone else before." She argued.

"Yeah, but that's because you all trusted me. I hardly actually led."

"Did we trust you back at initiation?" Ren cut in.

"Well no, I guess-"

"But you took charge there." Nora added.

"I mean-"

"Hush." Yang commanded with a playful wink "You're going to great out there. If you don't believe in yourself, believe in my judgement - I'm never wrong."

Jaune chuckled. "I'll take your word on that."

She smirked. "Glad to see you're coming around."

Qrow groaned from down the table. "Can you stop flirting for just a second and let me enjoy my almost-food in peace?"

Jaune started to rise from his seat. "If you'd prefer, we can just go elsewhere and…"

"Sit the fuck down kid."

Yang winked at him. "See? Confidence, just like that."

Qrow slammed his head into the table.

Ren coughed. "Honestly, it can occasionally be a bit-" was as far as he got before Nora seized his arm.

"Renny, this is the most entertainment I have out here, don't ruin this for me."

The ninja wisely backed down.

Jaune smiled sympathetically at his friend, before turning back to Qrow.

"So, how's it been going over on your end?"

"Well you're still hanging around…"

Jaune rolled his eyes. "How's the team doing? Everyone adjusting to military life?"

Qrow shrugged. "We're still in the getting to know you phase. Nobody is fully trusting of the new boss on day one. If I recall correctly, a certain blond was pretty standoffish with me when we first teamed up too."

He nodded. "Yeah, Yang can be like that."

"I'm very approachable." She argued.

"You called me Vomit Boy."

"You THREW UP on my shoes."

"Touche"

"I was talking about you angst-knight." The older man snapped.

The blond boy smiled. "To be fair, you're super untrustworthy."

"And yet, you came to love me."

"Love is a real strong word, but then, I make bad life decisions all the time. Yang excluded of course." He quickly amended.

"Smooth." She teased.

Qrow grunted. "No argument there." He stared down at his empty glass. "The fact that I know Bryan has helped the unit accept me. The fact that the current team leader is that Robin chick has helped the transition with the girls." He shrugged. "All in all, it's going about as well as it can. I guess we'll find out more tomorrow." He broke out in an evil grin. "Speaking of which, I don't envy the reception that you have waiting back for you at your tent."

Jaune groaned and sat his head on the table. "Don't remind me." He looked over to team RWBY. "Can I stay with you guys?"

He received two yeses, a shrug, and a very stern no in response.

Qrow flicked him. "I'm going to have to overrule that, can't deal with you in addition to this lot."

"Yang could take care of me, I'm housebroken."

"It's true." She confirmed.

"Hard pass kid." Qrow growled. "Have fun back there"

* * *

Jaune sighed as he made his way back to the tent after dinner. Or back to his 'mistress' as Yang teased.

 _Gods I hope she's teasing. I can't imagine how poorly a jealous Yang turns out for me._

He stopped as he found the entrance to his tent.

 _Either way, I don't think that this turns out well for me._

He slowly pulled back the tent flap to reveal a scowling Winter sitting on her bed, headphones on and lost in her music.

 _Oh good, she's in a good mood._

"Hey there boss."

She ignored him.

He sighed. _It's never easy._

"Look, I know that Qrow's kinda an ass, but he means well on this one."

"You can drop the kinda."

 _We're talking, progress!_

"You don't have to worry about the team. I'll watch after them." He assured her.

"Yeah, I don't have to worry, I'm sending Chief with you."

 _Ok, maybe not so much progress._

"Look, I know I'm not what you wanted, but I'm what you've got." He spread his arms wide. "What do you want from me?"

She sighed and lowered her headphones. "About five more years of experience, a decent fighting style," she eye'd him up and down. "A better sense of style period."

He scoffed. "I've been told that I'm quite charming."

"If was by anyone other than your mother, you should shoot them for their dishonesty."

 _She knows!_

"Yang's into me."

"I believe the goal is for that to be the other way around." She drawled. "But I suppose there's no accounting for taste."

"You are just in a mood today."

She raised an eyebrow. "You've know me for two days, what do you know about my moods?"

He walked over and plopped down next to her. "Weiss is a pretty good teacher of Schnee moods."

"Oh, is picking up on moods an Arc family trait?"

"Nah, I'm pretty sure it's just a product of having seven sisters."

"SEVEN!?" She exclaimed.

He rolled his eyes. "Why does everyone react like that? We'll circle back to that later." He pointed towards her headphones. "For right now, what are you listening to, and what noise did you subject me to this morning."

She snorted. "It's rap, and it's art."

"Yeah, thanks for that, but I kinda figured." He shook his head. "I just never figured you for a fan, I thought you'd be more of a…"

"Classical girl? Thanks for the stereotype."

"To be fair, Weiss is your sister."

Winter smiled. "She apparently inherited all of our mother's musical talent. I was always more of a guns and sword girl."

"And that translated to rap? Listen, you know that that's mostly made by faunus artist right?"

Winter mock gasped. "You mean SnoopTiger isn't human?" She rolled her eyes and shoved him. "Yes I know you dolt, I'm not my father." She paused for a moment. "I think I like the aggression in it, the want for change, the statement of 'this is who I am.'"

He gave her a small smile. "I'll be honest, that was way deeper than I was expecting. I thought you were just going to tell me to shut up."

She cocked her head. "Does that work?"

"Hasn't yet."

She sighed. "Didn't think so." She lifted the headphones off her neck and offered them to him. "Here, give it a listen."

He shrugged and took the headphones from her. Just as he was about to put them on, her hand caught his.

"Jaune, it's unfair of me to put this on you at this point, but tomorrow, look out for my-OUR team out there. Ok?"

He nodded as the headphones covered his ears.

"I promise. And an Arc always keeps his word."

* * *

 **Meet the Beowolves**

 **Peter White - Faunus in Atlas**

"Peter, you need to start thinking about the future." The old fox faunus admonished him.

"Coach, what are you talking about?" He gestured to the gym around them. "This is my future."

The older man shook his head sadly. "I know you love boxing...but boxing don't love you."

The young rabbit faunus scoffed. "So I dropped my last fight, big deal."

"And the one before that, and the one before that. Peter...this hurts to say, but you don't have IT, you never have. You're not going to make any money at this."

"So what? You're kicking me out?" The boy asked angrily.

The man shook his head. "You know you've always got a place here, but you've got to make a living. I know your sister got into Vale University, but you don't have those kinda grades." He sighed. "Boy, if you hang around here, you're going to end up doing something for money that'll break your mother's heart."

The boy's head sank. "So what am I supposed to do?"

"I know a guy, Atlas military."

Peter's head shot up. "Hell no."

"It's not like that anymore Peter, not since the Revolution." The man argued. "They got healthcare, and they pay on time."

"How would I even get in? I don't exactly have a clean record coach."

"Don't need one if you got a recommendation."

The boy tsked. "Good luck with that."

The old boxer reached into his jacket pocket and passed the boy an envelope, causing the his eyes to widen.

"How?" Was all he could manage.

The man smiled. "Said guy owed me a favor. I already spoke with your ma."

"Coach...I don't know what to say."

"Don't say nothing Peter, just go make us proud." He clasped the youth on the shoulder. "Like always."

* * *

"MOVE MOVE MOVE, YOU MISERABLE MAGGOTS!" The instructor boomed. "You've got 20 minutes to get to the bullheads and have them prepared for launch!"

A tall, muscular youth, sporting the same shaved haircut they all now wore, turned to Peter. "Bro, give me your pack."

Peter shook his head. "What? Why?"

The youth shrugged. "I'm big, but I'm slow as fuck. You're fast enough to get to the bullhead and get it set for when we get there."

"What makes you think I'm fast?" Peter questioned.

The recruit raised an eyebrow. "Look at you."

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"Bro, I KNOW you're fast."

Peter shoved the boy. "I'm not your 'Bro!'"

"The hell's your problem?" The youth shoved him back, and Peter's hand shot out, cracking him in the jaw.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS!?" The instructor bellowed, stepping between the two. "Recruits, do either of you look like a Grimm?"

"No instructor!" The responded in unison.

"Then why the fuck are you fighting?"

"He started it!" Both recruits accused.

"I could give a fuck, I'm finishing it! Congratulations, you'll be repeating the ruck during chow."

The youths glowered at each other. "Yes instructor."

The boys were breathing hard as their feet churred the earth in the dark, their packs weighing them down.

"So, what the fuck was all that back there?" The muscular youth panted.

Peter shot the boy a look. "You know."

"Know that I saw your three mile time at in-processing?"

"Huh?" Peter asked, taken aback.

"You were runner number 3, right? Yeah, 18 minutes flat is moving in my book."

Peter winced. "Oh, I thought…"

"I saw your big-ass ears and made a call?"

"Yeah…"

"Fucking'A man." The youth moaned. "Now we gotta do this shit again."

"Hey man, I'm sorry."

The bigger man sighed. "It is what it is now bro. What's your name anyways?"

"Peter. Yours?"

The boy held out a fist. "Stevens."

Peter rolled his eyes and bumped the boy's fist. "You're a weird dude Stevens, most people would still be pissed."

"Would being pissed mean I can skip the ruck?" Stevens asked.

Peter chuckled. "I don't think so."

"Then I don't have time for it. I'm a man on a mission." He declared proudly.

"Yeah, what's that?"

"Gonna be bullhead assault man, just like my pops."

"He push you into this?"

"Nah, died when I was little. Bought it during the Revolution."

"Oh...sorry." Peter said awkwardly.

Stevens shrugged it off. "Don't worry about it man, it is what it is." He smiled wistfully. "I don't really remember anything about him you know, just my uncle's stories."

"Yeah, didn't really know mine either." Peter commiserated.

Stevens grinned. "But my uncle has some great stories man. He and my old man were there at the assault on the council building. Right there with Irondaddy! My uncle says my dad was close enough to reach out and touch him." The boy flexed his hand. "Can you imagine? Close enough to touch THE man!"

"That's cool."

"Hell yeah it is." He gestured to Peter. "What about you bro, why are you here?"

Peter considered how honest he should be for a moment, then shrugged. "Everyone always looked down on us growing up, but bullhead assault? That's elite. I get that badge, and nobody can take that shit away."

Stevens nodded. "I get that."

Peter sighed. "How much farther?"

Stevens hummed. "About 10 klicks." He turned to Peter and grinned. "So let's get hopping!" He put on an extra boost of speed and pulled ahead.

"Smartass." Peter mumbled, before speeding up to catch his new friend.

* * *

Stevens held up his glass for a toast. "We are bullhead assault!" He cried.

"WE ARE B.A.!" A chorus of voices met his as glasses clinked together.

Peter started to make his way to the corner before Stevens meaty hand found his shoulder.

"Whoa, where you going bro?"

Peter rolled his eyes. "Away from your nonsense."

"But our nonsense is where the ladies are!" Stevens argued. "You gotta show off your wings!"

"Human girls man."

"So?"

"Don't be that guy Stevens, you know."

Stevens grabbed the faunus' chin and turned his head. "I know that one's checking you out."

Sure enough, there was a girl with short, purplish-red hair looking his way.

"She's beautiful." He whispered.

"She's interested." Stevens teased.

Peter scoffed.

Stevens raised an eyebrow. "No? Watch this." He cupped his hands to his mouth. "Mags! This dude wants to meet you!"

Peter felt his ears droop in embarrassment as the girl made her way over. "Asshole." He accused.

Stevens just grinned and winked. "You love me."

"I hate you."

Stevens ignored him as the girl arrived. "Mags! Thanks for coming over, this is my friend Peter." He leaned in and mock whispered. "He's a little shy."

She giggled and he felt his knees grow weak. "Pleasure to meet you Peter, I'm Magenta, but my friends call me Mags."

"Uh, hi."

Stevens flicked his ear in annoyance.

"Ouch! I mean, uh…." He winced. "Do you want to get a drink?" He prepared for the rejection.

She smiled. "I'd love to."

* * *

"Take off the hat Peter."

"Mags, people will stare!"

"So?"

"It's the ears, people will assume...you know."

"I'm dating you?"

"Yeah…"

"I am Peter."

"Yeah, but not everyone is ok with it."

She shrugged. "Oh, is that all?" She turned and cupped her hands. "Attention everyone, this is my faunus boyfriend. Later, I intend to take him home and-"

She was cut off as he slapped a hand over her mouth.

"Brothers, Mags! You win! I'll take off the hat!"

* * *

"We did it man! team lead, here we come!" Stevens exclaimed.

Peter smiled. "You made it? Congrats!"

Stevens paused. "Uh, don't you mean we made it? We got the same scores."

"Yeah, which took us to the board."

"You should have done fine at the board though."

"Stevens...did you see the board? Who all was on it?" Peter tried to explain.

Stevens eyes widened in understanding. "Bro...maybe...maybe it wasn't like that."

"Stevens...it's like that."

* * *

"I'm fucking hyperventilating man!"

"Peter, bro, calm the fuck down." Stevens chuckled. "It's gonna be fine."

"But what if it's not fine? What if she says no?"

"She's not gonna say no bro."

"But how can you know that? Oh Gods, this is such a shitty ring."

His friend smirked. "Yeah bro, I know, she's not going to say no."

"There's no way to know!" Peter exclaimed.

"Yeah, there is, she's standing behind you."

Peter nearly gave himself whiplash spinning around.

"I, uh…."

Stevens gently pushed him down to one knee.

He swallowed. "Mags will you, uh…"

She full on tackled him, sending them both to the ground in a heap. "Yes!" She cried as she assaulted him with kisses, before pushing herself up on his chest and grinning. "Now show me my shitty ring."

* * *

Peter grinned as he held the scroll to his ear, he couldn't help it. "Can you believe it sis? Mags is already three months along!"

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know what they say about rabbits Lola."

His smile returned. "I still can't believe you scored tickets to the Vytal festival."

His face contorted in a scowl. "Sis is that gunfire?"

His eyes widened in panic. "What do you mean there's Grimm!?"

He shouted frantic instructions into the scroll. "Listen, you need to find Atlas forces, they'll keep you safe! Sis? LOLA!"

* * *

"Please don't go." She pleaded.

"Mags, we talked about this."

"I know, but I just can't. Peter, the baby's almost here."

He reached out and took her hand. "I know Mags, and I'm sorry, but we're going after the Fang. They never let faunus go after the Fang. This might be my only chance to get those bastards."

"Peter, I know how you feel about them after you sister, but-"

"I can't sleep Mags, I just keep hearing that call. Please...I need this."

She swallowed, tears in her eyes, and nodded. "Ok...ok, but I'm not having this baby without you."

He leaned in and kissed her forehead. "We should wrap this up fast."

"Will you be safe?"

"Stevens is our team lead, he'll have my back."

She nuzzled into his chest. "Promise...promise you'll come home."

He held her tight. "I promise Mags."

* * *

 **Omake**

 **Make a Specialist Out of You (Props to Crimson Reiter)**

Winter sighed as she looked over JNR and RWBY. "Listen, I'm glad you're all here, but you're also grossly under-trained for this, and there's only one solution."

"Steroids!" Nora cried.

"What? No! My way is much more efficient."

"What's that?" Jaune asked.

She grinned. "Musical montage!"

 _Cue 'I'll make a man out of you.'_

Winter _:_ _Let's get down to business, to defeat the Fang_

 _Did they send me students, when I asked for Hunters?_

Jaune: Yes, we've established that.

Winter: _You're the saddest bunch I ever met_

 _But you can bet before we're through_

 _Mister, I'll make a Specialist out of you_

Yang: Does this feel a little sexist in this context?

Weiss: Just roll with it, she's doing a thing.

Winter: _Tranquil as a forest but on fire within_

Yang: I can be on fire all over if you prefer.

Winter: _Once you find your center, you are sure to win_

 _You're a spineless, pale, pathetic lot_

 _And you haven't got a clue_

Jaune: I think I need a hug.

Winter: _Somehow I'll make a man...err Specialist out of you_

Ruby: No, Yang, I'm definitely hearing it now.

Ren: _I'm never gonna catch my breath_

Jaune: Oh shit, we're singing too?

Nora: _Say goodbye to those who knew me_

 _Boy, was I a fool in school for cutting gym_

Qrow: _This girl's got 'em scared to death_

Jaune: _Hope she doesn't see right through me_

Winter: Of course I do dunce.

Weiss: _Now I really wish that I knew how to swim_

Blake: Wait, what does that have to do with anything?

Winter: _To be a Specialist_

All: _We must be swift as the coursing river_

Jaune: I'm fairly sure Ruby can break the sound barrier.

Winter: _Be a man_

Blake: Ok, you definitely missed that one.

All: _With all the force of a great typhoon_

Winter: _Be a Specialist_

All: _With all the strength of a raging fire_

Yang: Again, I've got this shit on lockdown

Winter: _Mysterious as the dark side of the moon_

Jaune: Does that mean anything to anyone not named Blake?

Blake: Shhh

Winter: _Time is racing toward us till the Fang arrive_

Ren: I thought they were already here?

Winter: _Heed my every order and you might survive_

Jaune: It feels like you're on a bit of a power trip here.

Winter: _You're unsuited for the rage of war_

Jaune: Is it weird that I don't disagree?

Yang: It's ok babe, you're a lover, not a fighter.

Winter: _So pack up, go home, you're through_

Jaune: Holy shit, that was an option this whole time?

Qrow: Get the fuck back here kid.

Winter _: How could I make a man out of you?_

Jaune: We're back to being hurtful.

Winter: _Be a Specialist_

All: _We must be swift as the coursing river_

Ruby: Jaune, I think you're supposed to do something cool here.

Jaune: Like what?!

Ruby: I don't know!

Winter: _Be a man_

Human Resources: No seriously Winter, we need to talk.

All: _With all the force of a great typhoon_

Jaune: A typhoon? Ruby I don't have water powers!

Ruby: Figure something out!

Winter: _Be a Specialist!_

Jaune: What am I going to do!?

All: _With all the strength of a raging fire_

Jaune: I got it!

Winter: _Mysterious as the dark side of th_ \- what the hell are you doing!?

Nora: I think he's trying to absorb the strength of a raging fire through osmosis.

Weiss: Barbarians!

Blake: *Scribbles furiously*

Qrow: You're a dead man kid!

Human Resources: You know what Winter? Don't worry about it, this place is a lost cause.

* * *

 **AN: *Sigh* ok, let's start off with the big one, and end with glorious violence. RWBY sets up a whole section of it's lore based around race, and then we spend about three minutes on it as anything other that an excuse to have the White Fang be bad guys. It's super disappointing, because it's a conversation worth having, and we never have it. The White Fang quickly devolves into radical revolutionaries with no real power behind their motives. We get to see the hate, but rarely the reason behind this hate (Illia being an exception). Folks, according to RWBY, there's a race-based war in the Faunus War in living memory, where the oppressed won the war. Fuck the Grimm, do you know what kinda earth shattering impact that has on a society? The American Civil war was the oppressors fighting the oppressors for the most part, and it took over a century after for civil rights to take hold in full, and we're still dealing with the fallout. That's how far these things reach. You want me to believe that the Faunus War didn't turn society on it's head and start successive wars? Maybe if the Faunus have multiple Nelson Mandelas running around, otherwise there's no way. But there's almost nothing about race in RWBY. There's not even an interracial relationship I'm aware of. It's maddening.**

 **So, I'm far too much of a hack to try to take on all the ramifications of that war if it were real, so I've settled for trying to talk about something I can possibly attempt. Faunus soldiers caught between two worlds. Good enough to fight for a country, but not to be equals, and mistrusted by their community for working for what has historically been an oppressive organization.**

 **Also….violence!**

 **Fight Nerd Corner: Ok folks, rhythm is important in any style of fighting, and can be defined in multiple ways. One way would be to say that I vary the rhythm of my flurries. For instance, I execute a single strike, then a quick series of strikes, then a feint. This is probably closer to what you'd actually do with a weapon than what I wrote. What I wrote is based off hand-to-hand striking, in which I actually vary the speed of the strikes. Why? Because if I'm just throwing heat at you non-stop, you're going to eventually get a feel for it, no matter how fast. The human brain is excellent at pattern recognition, which is why you confuse it with variation. I'd love to use mr. 'ew can't 'and my riddum' Georges St. Pierre for this example, but I think the Diaz brothers from MMA are a better example. Watch them strike, they throw fast, then slow, then fast, then medium. It drives their opponents crazy. They can never figure out when to counter or defend because of the variation. Note: sometimes they do, Conor McGregor's second fight with Nate Diaz is a good example of picking up a complex rhythm and exploiting it.**

 **The last thing I'll talk about here is knowing yourself as a fighter. It's crucial. You have to be honest with yourself on what your capabilities and likes are, you can't fall in love with the image of the fighter you WANT to be. Tell yourself the truth beforehand, because your opponent is going to reveal it to you. For myself? I'm a pressure fighter. I want to bring the party to you, and I like the chaos/breaking people (it's one of the reasons I really want to write a Yang-centric fic someday, I get her). However, that also means that more technical fighters can make me look foolish in my pursuit, my defense has giant holes, and if I try to bring that type of fight against a bigger/stronger pressure fighter, I'm probably in for a bad day. Good training partners and coaches should be there to help you understand your tendencies and deficiencies.**

 **P.S. if you're curious, Winter wakes Jaune up with 'Go to Sleep' by Eminem.**


	6. Hearts and Minds

**Cr00cy is the GOAT of editors**

 **CHAPTER 5**

 **Hearts and Minds**

* * *

 **W.S. Quote Book Says:** Swords can win territories but not hearts, forces can bend heads but not minds. - Mirza Tahir Ahmad.

 **W.S. Playlist Says:** The most expensive thing in the world is trust. It can take years to earn and just a matter of seconds to lose - Tupac

* * *

Jaune awoke in decidedly more peaceful manner this morning, in that it was to the beeping of his alarm, and not the blaring of music promising violence, followed by actual violence.

 _Maybe today is going to be a good day._

Nora exploded into the tent. "Jaune we're going to be late! The mission leaves in 10 minutes!" She shouted before disappearing again out of the entrance again.

 _Thanks life, thought things were getting a little stale_. Jaune sulked, as he tumbled out of bed, frantically pulling on his armor before tripping his way outside in a panic.

A panic that was dulled somewhat by the sight of a dejected looking Ren, an amused Chief, and a happily waving Nora.

He looked to Ren. "We're not late, are we?"

"No we are not, my friend."

"I got tired of waiting." Nora informed him cheerily.

He sighed. "Ren why?"

The green boy looked at him apologetically. "You know why."

"Yeah, Nora being Nora."

"If it makes you feel any better, I was pretty pissed when this song and dance happened outside my tent 10 minutes ago." Chief cut in. "But now that I'm seeing it from the other side, I think that she might be onto something. The look on your face was priceless."

"Nora does have that effect on people."

"It's part of my charm." She confirmed.

Chief rubbed his chin. "I think we'll keep her, as a mascot."

Jaune chuckled. "You sure that's a good idea?"

The older man shrugged. "Well, they wouldn't let us keep a live Beowolf, so this seems like the next best thing."

Nora howled to show her approval of being selected as replacement of Beowolf, causing Ren to shake his head with a small smile on his face.

Jaune looked back to the dog-faunus. "Where's Winter anyway?"

He snorted. "The First is still a little miffed about being left out of the mission. She's probably at the bullhead docks now, hemming up some poor soul that's not moving fast enough for her liking."

Jaune winced. "She's kind of a control freak, huh?"

Zane eyed him. "Spec, if she hasn't made you organize your drawers yet, she will."

"Wait, do you mean my dresser drawers, or my underwear?"

"Yes."

"Super." Jaune deadpanned.

"You are rather untidy." Ren admonished.

Jaune glared at his friend. "You're just trying to shift attention off you failing to stop Nora this morning."

The ninja raised his hands in defeat. "I had no pancake batter Jaune. Do you expect a Huntsman to work without his weapon? A firefighter without water? A-"

The blond playfully shoved his friend. "We get it, you're bad at wrangling your woman."

Jaune grinned as both Ren and Nora's eyes widened at that.

 _Vengeance is mine!_

They both exploded into qualifiers and explanations for their relationship, all unnecessary.

Chief leaned over to him. "There's a story here…"

"Yeah, a long and awkward one, but I want to get some food before we head out, so I'll tell you over breakfast."

* * *

Breakfast passed by relatively uneventfully.

 _Well. Uneventful for our standards._ Thought Jaune.

Nora had consumed enough pancakes to actively distract other tables, Ruby had found reason to use her Semblance for the most mundane of task, Yang had insisted on creating sexual tension, Oscar had laughed at their antics, Blake had tried to find a way to avoid being associated with them while still sitting with them, and Weiss had scolded them all.

 _Pretty standard day. Wonder where Qrow was though?_

Jaune considered the matter as he walked towards the bullhead docks with Chief Zane in tow, Ren and Nora a ways behind them, chatting animatedly. Or rather, he was trying to pretend that he wasn't lost as Chief led the way to the docks and Nora was chatting at Ren. He was pretty sure Chief hadn't noticed, but then, he also thought he'd heard him mutter something about 'can't spell lost without Lt.'"

Something had been bothering Jaune since he'd met the older faunus, something than he wasn't quite sure how to ask. But, with their first real mission looming, one that Chief had been specifically chosen for, he decided he needed to. With one last look over his shoulder to ensure Ren and Nora were out of earshot, he dove in.

"Does it ever bother you, working for Atlas?" Jaune asked carefully.

The older man eyed him. "Are you asking if being a faunus in the military bother me?"

"Yeah, I mean, it just feels like you're kind of being used as the…"

"Token faunus?" The Chief offered.

"Yeah."

He snorted. "You didn't grow up around many faunus did you Spec?"

The young man looked away in embarrassment. "Is it that obvious?"

Zane chuckled. "Don't be embarrassed, it's nothing you chose, and no it's not." He turned towards the boy. "It's just that if a person hasn't, they tend to have a harder time understanding the experience. Everyone reacts to their lack of exposure differently – some people are nervous around faunus, some are overly desperate to prove that they're supporters, and in rare cases, people get scared and angry."

Jaune grimaced. "Where does that put me?"

The man smiled at him. "You're just trying to figure out how to act. You don't like things being unfair, and when you see something that you perceive to be unfair, you try to confront it." He placed a hand on the knight's shoulder. "But what you don't understand is that I'd be treated differently no matter where I worked in Atlas. It comes with being in the minority."

"But you're fighting against the Fang who-"

"-Who don't speak for all of us." The Chief cut him off. "Atlas has a shitty history with equal rights Jaune, but the military has done alright by me and my family. It offered me route out of the circumstances that I was born into, and people tend to be more inclined to treat you like a member of the team when you're all being shot at. Now don't get me wrong, it hasn't shielded any of us from discrimination, but I don't think it's quite the same as what you're thinking. You thinking about slurs and unfair treatment being thrown around?"

The blond shrugged. "Yeah."

The older man nodded. "A lot of people do, and for sure that still exist, but the more common form of racism is more…subtle." He looked into the distance in thought. "It's your new neighbors being upset because they think you're going to bring down the property value, it's getting stopped more by security forces, it's people starting to whisper when you're around, or cross the street to avoid you, it's the assumption that you're good at certain things or like certain things because you're faunus." He winced. "On the bad days, it's getting to hear men that you've fought next to and respect say things like, 'you're one of the good ones.'"

Jaune shook his head. "That's terrible."

He shrugged. "It's reality, but it CAN get better. It's why we're having this conversation right now. It's why I had this conversation with the First when we started working together. You don't understand, and that ignorance is the enemy." He looked at the boy seriously. "You really want to help? Understand that I'm never going to be able to fully see the world through your eyes, nor you mine, so it's important to keep your ears open when someone that comes from a different experience than you is talking. You listen to me and I'll listen to you, it's the only way it works."

Jaune nodded seriously. "I promise, and an Arc never goes back on his word."

Zane grinned and clapped him on the shoulders. "Peachy! Now, are you ready to go talk to some lowlife animals in this backwater village?"

The knight balked. "Uhhh"

The man shoved him playfully. "Sheesh. Relax Spec, I'm fucking with you, comes with being a soldier."

The blond shook his head. "To be honest, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that either."

"You care about those two walking back there?"

Jaune straightened. "Of course, they're family."

"What about Stevens and his band of hooligans? Would you protect them if the shit hits the fan?"

"Yeah, they're part the team."

"Then that's all you really need to worry about. I understand that this might not have been your first choice, and I can understand why, but we're basically just a big Hunter team."

"The difference is, this team doesn't make its own decisions." Jaune argued.

Chief nodded. "I suppose we don't, but then, did you?"

Jaune shook his head. "Of course, Hunter teams get to choose their jobs."

"Get to pick from a pool of jobs provided by the kingdom is more like it from what I hear. Is it really choice if all your options are selected for you?"

"Maybe that's the way it was at Beacon, but we've been on our own for a while, making our own choices." The knight shot back.

"Like choosing to join the military?"

Jaune's mouth opened and closed as he searched for an answer.

"I'm not trying to be a smartass Spec, but I am telling you that there's a cost and a benefit to everything. No man alone, no matter how strong, is as strong as a group banding together. Of course, as your group grows, so does the distance between yourself and the leadership. You trade your time and free will to an extent, but you gain the ability to change the world on a scale unobtainable before." He considered the boy. "It's about trust Jaune, it's about belief in those you serve with, and those chosen to lead you."

Jaune sighed. "You're saying that I need to believe in the 'brass' more."

The man chuckled. "Kinda. I'm trying to tell you that YOU are the brass now. These soldiers want to believe in you, they want you to succeed, because that means WE succeed. They're willing to write off your lack of enthusiasm right now as being new to the game, but that'll only last so long."

"But I've never done something like this!" The blond argued.

"Welcome to leadership 101! Fake it till you make it! The First was no different when she started."

"No." Jaune said incredulously.

The faunus shrugged. "It's true. Everyone starts somewhere. You're a smart kid, you'll do fine, you just gotta believe."

Jaune laughed. "Now you sound like Yang."

"The pretty blonde?"

"Yeah."

"Smart girl, sounds like a keeper. Now you just got to trick her into thinking you're one."

Jaune smiled. "Yeah."

"You never know what you're capable of until you try."

"Thanks Chief, I appreciate it. If you don't mind me asking, what's making you spend all this time one us? You certainly don't owe us anything."

The older man scoffed. "For one, it's my job, for another - I'm trying to make sure that the unit doesn't implode. But most importantly, you guys remind me of my daughters."

Jaune laughed. "I'm not sure how to feel about that."

"Either you're a smart, strong, youth full of potential, or you're an angsty teenage girl...you decide."

"Probably the latter." Jaune decided.

"I didn't say it."

The young knight eyed the man. "You want to talk about them?"

Zane grinned. "Do I!"

And with that, the boy knew that they'd talk about nothing else for the remainder of the walk.

* * *

They reached the bullhead docks to see the Qrow pacing back and forth along the pad, directing aircrews and support personnel as RWBY looked on, till he caught sight of them.

"Late as always."

"Just taking notes from the master." Jaune retorted.

Qrow scoffed. "Please, I'm the picture of professionalism."

Ruby couldn't hold back her snort.

Qrow eyed her sideways. "I love you too, Short-Stack."

"It's just that you uh...have a few...questionable tendencies." She reasoned.

"A few is short selling it." Jaune informed him.

"It's a shame that your broken legs are going to keep you from going on this mission kid." The older Hunter growled.

"Ladies." Yang interrupted. "You're both beautiful, but can we please get on with the show?"

Chief leaned over to Jaune. "Definitely a keeper."

"Any advice of tricking her?"

"Nah, I'm shocked you're together in the first place."

Jaune rolled his eyes. "Thanks."

The older man patted him on the back. "It's what I'm here for."

Qrow began motioning to crowd of soldiers. "Alright people, shut the hell up and open up your ears. We're going to the town of Banner today. It's an Atlassian city, so treat it accordingly. That means keeping the magazines out of your weapons."

He was greeted with a chorus of groans.

"Pack that shit in." He snapped. "This is their town, in your kingdom, so we're not rolling in there like it's the damn Wilds. We're landing outside the town, and we're walking our way in. This village is most likely mostly faunus, so if you've got a problem, I need you to either shut your mouth or stay here. Chief Zane and myself are going to be talking with the head honcho, the rest of you have permission to mingle to try to get a feel for Fang influence here. Any questions?" He scanned over the crowd. "No? Good, get on those damn bullheads so we can get this over with."

"You heard the man!" Chief Zane bellowed, waving the soldiers towards the waiting craft.

As they made there way towards the nearest bullhead, Jaune heard Zane call to him.

"Specialist Arc."

"Chief?"

The older man pointed towards one of the aircraft. "Get on craft one with Sam and Peter."

The boy nodded and adjusted his course, starting a bit when he felt a hand slip into his. He turned to see a grinning Yang.

"Heya Ladykiller, heading my way?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be with the rest of RWBY?"

She shrugged. "I have it on good authority that they're capable of surviving without me. Besides, I wanted a minute to catch up with you. Do you know Xiao Long it's been?"

He smiled. "Far be it for me to leave a pretty lady Yanging."

Her grin widened. "You're learning!"

"I'm being corrupted." He joked back as they boarded the craft. They walked down the hold till they reached Peter and Sam, and took the spots across the two soldiers.

"Looks like you're on herding duty today." Jaune said to the rabbit faunus.

Peter laughed. "I was just messing with Chief the other day, sorry about that Spec."

"Jaune." He corrected gently.

Peter nodded. "This her?" He asked, pointing at Yang.

Jaune rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, this is Yang."

Peter grinned. "You're like an urban legend over at the Beowolves ma'am."

"Yang." She corrected before tilting her head. "Why?"

"Stevens started talking about our Spec bringing a lady friend along with him, and we've been divided on whether you're real or not."

Yang propped an elbow on Jaune's shoulder and smirked. "Very real."

The faunus chucked. "And now I owe Stevens a can of dip."

"Should've had some more faith in our Spec." The short haired redhead beside him admonished. "He's got some…" She rotated her hand slowly, looking for the words. "...boyish charm. Yeah, we'll go with that."

Yang nudged Jaune. "Look at you go Ladykiller, already turning heads."

The redhead laughed. "We call that fraternization ma'-Yang." She held out a hand. "Sam, by the way."

Yang took the offered hand. "Nice to meet you. So, what brings you guys here?"

"A bullhead." Peter quipped.

Yang rolled her eyes. "Thanks. I mean how'd you guys end up doing this soldiering gig? We kinda got drafted."

His eyes widened. "Drafted? We that desperate?"

Sam smirked. "They hired you didn't they." She looked back at Yang. "Different strokes for different folks I guess. I kinda fell into it after my last job fell through."

"What'd you want to do?"

"I actually always wanted to be a dancer growing up."

Yang's eyes brightened. "Jaune's a dancer!"

The knight groaned.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "That so? Thanks for that little piece of blackmail."

"So what happened?" Jaune asked.

Sam shrugged. "It didn't work out. Got pretty good locally, but never got the nerve to go out to the big city and look for instruction until later. Tried to look 'The Great Pierre,' but he'd already moved on."

Jaune's forehead creased. "'Pierre?' Where did you grow up?"

"Small town outside of Vale, named Brightwater for the river next to it."

He shook his head. "We used to visit that place when I was a kid."

"No shit! Small world."

"So what happened next?" Yang cut in.

Sam hummed. "Well, I knew I wanted to travel, which is a big part of why I wanted to dance, and then this guy in uniform comes along to our high school and says that he's got a job that'll take us all over." She shrugged. "And the rest is history."

"I can get behind that." Yang agreed. "I'm a little surprised Atlas was recruiting just outside Vale though."

Sam tsked. "If you're willing to sign the papers, they'll take just about anyone."

Jaune shifted over to Peter. "How about you?"

"Me? Atlas born and bred." He proclaimed proudly. "I joined as soon as they'd legally let me."

"Family have a history in the military?" Jaune asked.

The rabbit faunus shook his head. "Nah, needed the money. It was just me, mom, and sis growing up, and there weren't a lot of employment opportunities in our section of Atlas if you catch my meaning. Wasn't smart enough to go to school, mom would have killed me if I stayed in that trap and burned out, so here we are."

"You like it?"

"Most days. There's some bullshit, but they pay the bills, and I get to do some pretty cool shit." He blinked. "Uh, I mean...I've been given a lot of opportunities." He amended.

Jaune and Yang laughed.

"What's that Hunter life like?" He asked the two.

Jaune winced. "It's been a rough ride so far."

"Hold on, you two weren't at Beacon were you?" Sam asked worriedly.

"'fraid so." Yang responded, glancing down at her arm.

Peter's face grew grim. "That was some cowardly shit they pulled there. We'll get'em Specs."

Jaune nodded and placed a hand on Yang's knee. "Yeah."

They spent the remainder of the ride making small talk, learning about things like Sam's weakness for sweets and Peter's unfortunate status as a 'good luck charm.' It was so distracting that Jaune almost managed to fend off the bane known as motion sickness.

Almost.

* * *

"Spec, you are green." Peter said, stepping off the ramp of the bullhead. "I don't mean that metaphorically, you've actually changed colors on me." He explained.

"Yeah, I think we're going to walk a few meters ahead of you, just in case this becomes a chemical weapons situation." Sam agreed.

He would have loved to respond, but he had other concerns, like not tossing his cookies.

"Ma'am, you're welcome to join us." Sam offered.

Yang sighed. "No, no, this was part of the contract when I signed up, you two go on, we'll catch up-" Jaune groaned. "-eventually."

"You're a brave woman." Peter said, before turning on his heel and darting ahead.

Yang shook her head at his pitiful state. "My hero."

"You're so comforting." He said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

She bumped him with her hip. "Don't be like that. You love me."

He chuckled. "I suppose I do." He smiled as he watched her exhale. "What do you say we get a move on Bright-Eyes? We've got people that probably don't like us to chat up."

She grinned and started following after the two soldiers. "So a normal day for you then?"

"Pssh. People love me."

"Against their better judgement, I'm sure."

He bumped her with his shoulder. "You'd know."

She shook her head and smiled, looking around at the green and broken earth, and the high mountains dominating the horizon.

"Did you ever think we'd make it out to a place like this?"

"Atlas? I mean, I figured after Weiss accepted my proposal, maybe."

"You're dumb." She laughed.

"So I have been told." He smirked. "No, not really, it was hard think past Beacon, you know?"

"Yeah." She smiled wistfully. "You know, I spent most of my life on Patch, and for so long, that seemed like the world. Now I've been so far." She winced a little. "I'd certainly change the circumstances, but I'm still happy I got to do it."

He grabbed her hand. "Yeah. The company is nice too."

"It's alright I guess." She teased.

"Ouch! Can you ease up a little? I've already got one harsh lady-boss." He joked back.

She shot him a look and his eyes widened.

"You can not be serious."

She turned her head away. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You are not jealous right now."

"I'm not!" She insisted. "It's just...weird."

He shook his head. "I can safely say that I never thought I'd see the day."

"It's completely normal!" She argued. "You spend all day AND night over there."

"She's my boss!"

"She's a Schnee, you have shown a weakness for Schnees."

He rolled his eyes. "You're ridiculous. I'd have to be crazy to throw this away."

She gave him a sideways glance, inviting him to continue.

He sighed. "Not only would it be suicide, but who would give up someone so beautiful, strong, and full of puns."

She hummed. "Don't stop, this flattery is helping your case."

He grinned. "I double down on my case that you're ridiculous."

"And you're still dumb." She chirped happily.

He laughed. "We're quite the pair."

Peter turned over his shoulder and call back over his shoulder. "Specs, if you're done breaking all the rules, we're here." Pointing a thumb towards the edge of the village, now in sight.

Sam shoved him. "It's adorable."

"We've got a job to do." He argued.

She sighed. "I suppose." She looked back to Jaune. "Where do we start Spec?"

Jaune considered it for a moment. "Let's buy something."

Peter raised an eyebrow. "We're shopping now?"

Sam nodded. "No, that's good. This is small time life rabbit, these people are more likely to chat if they think we're going to spend money."

Peter looked down at his uniform. "We don't look like shoppers. Also, I told you not to call me that."

Sam grinned. "I know, but Chief told me to fuck with you. That uniform just means you got money, now let's go pick up something to bribe the guys back at camp with and mingle."

The made their way into the village and into the market, looking the various odds and ends offered there.

Jaune smiled as he held up a yellow top for Yang to inspect. "What do you think? I think it'd look good on you."

She smirked. "It all looks good on me."

He sighed. "You know what I like about you? It's how humble you are."

She winked. "Thanks Ladykiller, but I already got something picked out for you."

"Wait, what?"

"You'll find out." She looked around. "Where's Peter and Sam?"

"I think-" He started.

"What the fuck did you say to me!?"

Their gaze whipped around to Peter and Sam standing at a stall across the street.

"Chill Peter." Sam warned.

"No!" The soldier shouted, pointing a finger back at the stall owner. "I want him to say it again!"

The stall owner, a cat faunus with a large mustache, leaned across the counter. "I said, I don't have time for a faunus that's working for Atlas. Walk away kid."

"You're about to have all the time in the fucking world, when I put you in the hospital!"

"Peter, back off!" Sam cried as she pulled him away from the stand.

"That's right boy, let your human carry you off. We got enough problems with the others to have to worry about you."

Peter surged forward again, reaching out for the older man. "Motherfuc-"

Jaune put a hand in his chest. "Sam, get him out of here." His gaze shifted over to the stall owner. "What others?"

The man's gaze shifted around nervously. "T-the other soldiers, we don't need your kind here."

Jaune raised an eyebrow. "Do I look like a soldier?"

The man shook his head.

He nodded over to Yang. "What about her?"

"N-no."

"That's cause we're Hunters. You know what Hunters do?"

The man swallowed. "They hunt Grimm."

"Exactly. You want these guys gone? Help us find those Grimm." Jaune's eyes narrowed. "Or anything that might be bringing them here."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about."

Jaune leaned in. "I think you do. I think you know exactly what I'm asking."

"Please." The man whispered, eyes darting around.

Jaune took a quick glance at the market, the street had grown eerily quiet, as all eyes focused on the scene unfolding.

"H-here, take this." The man passed Jaune a small brown sack. "For your lady-friend." His eyes flicked over to Yang. "A-and tell your friend I'm sorry."

Jaune stared into the man's eyes again, and was shocked by the panic there. He nodded once. "Thanks." He muttered as he passed a 20 lien note across the booth. "Sorry for the disturbance."

He gestured to Yang. "Let's head back." And began to walk back towards the edge of town.

She waited until they were off the street before punching him in the arm.

"Ow! What the hell!"

She grinned. "Badass Jaune returns!"

He shook his head. "Maybe, but I don't think that's what he was afraid of."

She cocked her head. "What do you mean?"

He untied the bag and pulled out a silver necklace, one with a small talisman at the end.

A white fang.

* * *

Qrow walked alongside Zane, the pair weaving their way through the narrow streets of the village on their way to the town square.

He decided to break the silence. "So, how's the kid doing?"

"Which one? You gave me three, you're going to have to be more specific."

"The pain in the ass."

"Which one? You gave-"

"You're a comedian. The blond."

"Jaune? He's doing alright, as long as he survives the First."

Qrow snorted. "She's a softie."

The faunus chuckled. "He might disagree with that statement. Awful specific in our concern, there something you need to tell me about my new officer?"

"He's got issues with authority."

"I gathered that. Any particular reason why?"

Qrow sighed. "Several. Suffice to say he lost more than most at Beacon, and found more than a few fingers to point."

"Those fingers accurate?"

"Guess it depends on who you ask."

His companion raised an eyebrow. "I'm asking you."

The Hunter shrugged. "He's not wrong for wanting to know the why, but we weren't exactly handing out classified info to first years at Beacon."

"But now there is no Beacon, and he feels real justified in his mistrust."

Qrow hummed. "That's about the size of it."

"That going to be a problem?"

"Shouldn't be. He's to dedicated to the team. The kid has a protective streak a mile wide."

"Doesn't look like he's the only one."

"I guess. More importantly, you got any idea how to shake these guys down for info?" Qrow asked, scanning over the many eyes watching them as they made their way.

"Just say it's a house call. Ask if they need anything. I have a feeling we'll get some clues if this is now Fang territory."

They arrived at the square, and Zane spotted an older man, with wispy gray hair and a small belly forming, standing out in front of what looked to be an inn.

"Good morning sir, we're from the Atlas mil-"

"I know who you are." He glowered.

Zane shot Qrow a glance.

"We were hoping to speak with the mayor if possible."

The man spat on the ground. "He's on his way. Figured you tin-men wanted something."

"You always this sociable, or are we just special?" Qrow asked.

"Hunters, ain't nothing good come from Hunters." He growled.

"Cept form dead Grimm." The Hunter shot back.

"Always seem to be more Grimm when there's Hunters around. Funny that."

Qrow opened his mouth to retort, and Zane put a hand on his shoulder. "It looks like there's our man now. Thanks for your time sir."

The man spat on the ground again.

"Charming." Qrow muttered, as they walked back to the center of the square to meet the trio making their way there from the other side. What looked to be a bear faunus, given his size and short brown ears, with a long grey beard and a shaved head in front.

 _Probably the mayor._ Qrow thought.

He was followed by two younger bear faunus, he assumed sons.

Zane held out a hand to the older man as they met the group. "Good to meet you sir. I'm Chief Zane of the Atlas military." He nodded to Qrow. "This is Qrow Branwen, a Hunter that's helping us clear out some of the Grimm in the area." Qrow took note that he didn't mention him being a Specialist.

The mayor took the offered hand and nodded to them. "Call me Bojan. These are my sons, George and Junior. Welcome to Banner."

"Thank you for your hospitality." Zane acknowledged.

"I don't everyone shares your openness." Qrow said.

Bojan's eyes flickered over to the man watching them from the inn and he chuckled. "Met Mathias did you? You'll find that some of our residents live this far out for a reason."

"And Atlas only comes around when they want something." Junior added, earned a hard look from his father.

He sighed. "My son is out of line, but he's not wrong. There's rarely been a time that I can remember seeing soldiers without...request being made of me." He looked to Zane. "Though it seems that they've widened their recruitment policy."

"Never seen a faunus soldier." George clarified helpfully. "The pay that good cattle dog?"

To Qrow's surprise, Zane took it in stride. "Things are different since the revolution. No one that wants to remain standing questions my heritage...or my service."

Bojan laughed as George growled. "I like you son. We'd heard that things were different after your General rose to power, but such things are wishful thinking as often as not." He clapped his hands together. "Now, how can we help you gentlemen?"

"It's the other way around old-timer, we're here to help you." Qrow said. "Came to clear out Grimm, but thought we'd see if anything was needed in the local towns while we got all this equipment in the area."

Bojan gave him a wane smile. "Now I KNOW you want something."

Qrow shrugged. "Doesn't mean we can't both get something out of it."

The mayor nodded. "I suppose that's true, but I'm afraid I don't have much to offer Hunter." He spread his arms wide. "What you see is what you get I'm afraid, we don't have much."

"That's alright, if you could just point me in the direction of the Grimm, that's good enough for me."

"Anxious to fight, Hunter?"

Qrow smiled. "I'm trying to get paid."

The elder laughed again. "A man after coin, THAT I can understand. Though, a faunus in uniform and a human mercenary, what an odd pair. We might be able to help you that request, but I'm afraid I don't have much news."

"Anything you can provide us will be appreciated, and of course, please let us know anything we can do in return." Zane said.

The old man stroked his beard. "You can start by stopping you flights over the North. There's no Grimm up that way, and you're frightening our livestock." He hummed. "A few of our hunters have said they've seen signs while looking for game to the East, but nothing out of the ordinary. Let's see, nothing to the South but the mountains, and the Grimm don't much like those for some reason."

"What about the West?" Qrow asked.

"The West? Well, I've heard of a few of our shepherds having their livestock poached by the Grimm, but nothing serious." He smiled at Zane. "Perhaps they needed cattle dogs with more bite."

Zane smiled back. "Who needs a dog when you've got a bear?"

Bojan chuckled. "A very old bear. Sorry we couldn't help you boys more."

Zane shook his head. "Not at all, thank you for your time. Are you sure there's nothing you need?"

The mayor nodded. "Thank you, but we get along fine without the outside world. If it's all the same to you, we prefer to keep it that way."

"We understand."

Qrow shrugged. "You can't tell us what you don't know."

The circle of men chatted idly for a few more minutes before bidding each other farewell. As they made their way out of the square, Bojan called to Qrow.

"Good hunting to you Hunter, may you always find the prey you seek."

Qrow smiled and waved over his shoulder. "I always do."

The two men didn't speak as they left the square, they didn't speak as they navigated the narrow streets, it was only when they were well clear of the boundaries of the village and calling the teams back in that Qrow turned to Zane.

"You catch all that?"

"He didn't ask for a thing but for us to leave. They're being watched."

"Yeah, but the crafty old bastard did give us something."

"Yeah?" Zane raised an eyebrow.

"Told us not to waste our time in the North, the South, or the East."

"He said the same thing about the West."

"Nah, he said that Grimm were poaching livestock."

"So?"

"Grimm don't eat animals." Qrow explained.

Zane's eyes widened.

Qrow smirked. "So what do you say? These sheep dogs have enough bite to handle some poachers?"

"You know, I think we just might."

* * *

 **Meet the Beowolves**

 **Samantha Birger - Almost Famous**

"What do mean he's gone?" Sam demanded.

The shop-keep sighed. "I mean that he's gone. That he's moved on. He's in a better place."

"He's dead!?" The redhead cried.

The man balked. "No! He moved to inner Vale!"

"But this is supposed to be his place, 'The Great Pierre!' She complained.

"And it was, but then he sold it to me, 'The Great Reggie.'" The man made finger quotes. "And now I sell instruments here. So, what are you buying?"

She shook her head. "I don't need any, I'm a dancer!" She ran a hand over her face. "Look, can you just tell me where he moved TO?"

Reggie shrugged as he wiped down the glass display case. "I mean, I can, but it's not going to do you any good."

"Why not?"

"Old Pierre has been retired for years. He's lucky he got to do that. Got into the booze, gambled more than he should've, and pissed off the local bosses." He snorted. "All that, and it'll be that bastard's ticker that takes him out."

Sam slumped. "So what am I supposed to do?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You could always learn violin."

* * *

Michael leaned back in his chair and groaned. These recruiting jobs outside Atlas sucked. It was the same thing every time, go to a Vale high school, sit in the cafeteria, watch dudes play on the pull-up bar, then make excuses and say they'd think about it. He'd stopped even trying to give out flyers at this point. He closed his eyes and willed the day to end.

"Uh, excuse me? Sir?"

His eyes popped open to see a young redhead standing in front of his booth. A cute redhead.

"Sergeant ma'am." He corrected with a smile. "Interested in joining the Atlas military? We provide scholarships."

She hummed. "Maybe." Her eyes scanned over the brochures. "What all is there?"

 _Score!_ He thought. "Well, you could be a med-tech, work in services, maybe even help out in recruiting." _You've got the looks for it._

She looked like she was considering it for a moment.

 _Got her now!_

"What job gets to travel the most?"

 _Huh?_

"Well, I guess something with the bullheads most likely." He hedged.

She pointed at a brochure of a group on men jumping out a bullhead. "That one. What are those guys doing?"

He chuckled lightly. "Uh, that's bullhead assault ma'am. That's a pretty...intense job."

"But they get to travel?"

He coughed. "Yeah, I suppose."

"I wanna do that."

"Ma'am I'd suggest..." He looked over her slender form. "Something less strenuous."

She raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

He nodded. "There are plenty of jobs that-"

"Did I ask about those jobs?"

"No, but-"

"Then put my damn name down."

* * *

"Alright recruits, today is hand to hand combat." Sergeant Ricky Tanner shouted as he looked over the new group. "There will be no weight-classes today, because there are no weight-classes in the real world. Now pick up your training knives and prepare to begin."

He watched as a small redhead paired off against a hulk of a man and internally winced. It wasn't always pretty, or fair, but neither was life.

"Sorry about this." The giant apologize honestly.

Sam shrugged. "Don't beat yourself up about it."

Ricky sighed and adjusted his glasses. "Begin!"

The giant lunged forward, intent on ending the confrontation as quickly as possible. The redhead? The redhead danced. That was the only word he could find for it. She slipped past the giant's guard and flowed around him, her training knife constantly in motion, painting the man up and down with fake blood.

"Holy shit." He whispered as the round timer sounded.

He put call Chief Zane later that night to tell him to watch the incoming personnel roster. He wanted to make sure the Beowolves grabbed her before the Ursa could.

* * *

"Welcome to the Beowolves!" Chief Zane congratulated, holding a hand out to Sam.

She held her hand out numbly, staring at the man, or rather, at the top of his head.

He sighed. "See something interesting up there Private?"

"Ears!" She blurted, before covering her mouth. "I'm sorry! I just never-"

He shook his head. "-seen a faunus. Your from the sticks right?"

She nodded.

"Not unusual."

A hand slowly rose. "Can I-"

"Stevens!" Chief bellowed. "Save this soldier from herself!"

* * *

"I can't believe you tried to touch them!" Stevens laughed.

Sam blushed. "I've never seen them before!"

He grinned and put a hand on her shoulder. "You just need someone to help you adjust. I'm-"

"-nothing but trouble." A tall, brown-haired woman with tanned skin stopped him.

Stevens rolled his eyes. "You love me Robin. What are you doing over here anyway? Ursa are over that way."

She pointed to Sam. "Saving that one from you lot."

Stevens scoffed. "We're nice."

Robin smirked. "You're also all guys." She held out a hand to Sam. "Come on newbie, I'll give you the grand tour."

* * *

"I can't believe we're getting to see Weiss Schnee perform live!" Sam squealed as they found their seats in the auditorium.

Robin rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you dragged me to this."

Sam huffed. "You have no idea how close I was to opening for her!"

Robin shook her head and leaned back in her seat. "You ever miss it? Performing?"

Sam hummed. "I used to, but being with the Beowolves...it just feels right."

Robin scoffed. "We'll get you with the Ursa yet."

"As if."

Robin smirked. "Speaking of getting with you." She pointed at handsome young man a few rows over watching them. "Someone thinks Samantha Birger's still got it." She teased.

* * *

"Robin I think it's getting serious! He took me into a jewelry store last week!"

The brunette chuckled. "Calm down girl. You think he's gonna ask?"

The red-head gave an excited nod. "He said we'd talk after this deployment!"

* * *

Robin held Sam as she bawled into her shoulder. It was an old story, but not a pleasant one.

"I-I just don't u-understand what I did wrong!" Sam wailed.

Robin shushed her. "You didn't do anything Sam, it was him."

The red-head snuffled. "W-we were ok. I just thought we were ok. 6 months isn't that long. All he had to do was wait!"

She rubbed the girl's head. "He wasn't worth the wait."

"I just wanted to come home." Sam whispered.

"I know Sam, I know." She comforted. She'd learned a long time ago.

Sometimes you don't get to come home.

* * *

"Alright, we're going to the club, and you're going to forget all about him. Right Sam?" Robin shouted to the living room as she pulled on her heels. When she didn't hear any response, she wandered toward the other room. "Sam?"

The redhead stood stock still staring at the tv with the remote in hand.

" _Thousands assumed dead after the terrorist attack on Beacon. All rescue efforts have been hindered by total communications blackout with Vale."_

"Sam, get your gear."

* * *

"You sure you're up for this?" Robin asked as she scanned over the Beowolves and Ursas' deployment roster. "Because if you're not…"

"Robin."

"Yeah Sam?"

"I'm a soldier. Put my damn name down."

* * *

 **Omake**

 **Letter to a Friend**

 _Hey man,_

 _It's been awhile! I've been busy since we last talked._

 _Got myself drafted, and now I'm a proud-ish (proud-lite?), member of the Atlas military._

 _My boss is kinda a slave driver...also my CO can be tough! Hahahaha...please don't tell Yang I made that joke, she's already kinda mad at me! I didn't even do anything!_

 _You ever have girl troubles?_

 _Qrow is still Qrow, which is to say, an asshole._

 _This soldiering thing isn't as easy as I thought it'd be. How do you lead people that you don't really know?_

 _People keep pressuring me to get a gun too. It's just like, let it go already! I'll figure it out!_

 _Anyway, enough about my problems. How are things at the bar? Your lady keeping you in line?_

 _Your Friend,_

 _Jaune Arc_

* * *

 _Jaune!_

 _Glad to hear you guys made it to Atlas ok! Hadn't heard from you in awhile and we were getting worried._

 _Drafted huh? That sucks. But, you're in it now, so might as well make the best of it!_

 _The best advice I can give you from my time in military is let the arguments with the higher ups that don't matter go, and save it for the ones that do. Trust me, you'll know when it's time to stand up to them...like when they're burning your town down…_

 _Sorry, got distracted there for a second! Anyway, pro tip, don't take missions to your hometown. In fact, actively sabotage all missions to your hometown. Also, people in lab coats and ponytails can go fuck themselves._

 _Did I have girl troubles? Ha!_

 _Here's my advice. Think about what I'd do...and then do the exact opposite. Seriously, you could not find a worse role model this side of Qrow, don't ever listen to my advice on women. I'm still stunned I'm married. Talk to lady, tell her how you feel and listen to her. Use. Your. Words. (Or other methods if Qrow isn't around)._

 _Of course he is, it's part of his charm._

 _Again, bad role model for being a leader, but here's what I got for you. It's all about trust. People are going to put trust in you that you haven't earned or deserve, and it's your job to reward their faith in you. Be honest with them about your limitations and where you need help. You're a family now kid._

 _Ugh. People and their gun fetishes. My best friend has a gun for an arm, can you believe that shit? A gun for an arm! It's like, 'hey man I can shoot fire from my hands and lasers from my sword, give me a break!' Wait...you can do those things right? Otherwise, yeah...invest in a gun._

 _Always here to listen brother._

 _Business is good my friend! The lady is keeping me busy with deliveries and we're looking at expanding, which is exciting. I'd deliver you guys a bottle of Nibel Whiskey, but you know...you can't exactly drink it at the moment._

 _See you soon man!_

 _Your Friend,_

 _Cloud Strife_

* * *

 **JJD: Man, I've missed 'good advice Cloud.'**

 **Writer's Block: Let's take a quick second to talk some writing ideas, namely - Villains. Now, first, let's establish that villains and conflict are different and a story can have no villains in it and still have compelling conflict. Conflict can take the form of an internal struggle within a character, within a team, conflict can be caused by the weight of historical events. All of this is to say, a story doesn't need a 'bad guy,' but if we're going to have one, what makes them a good bad guy? I'd argue that the best ones are a reflection of the protagonist in some way, similar but different. Take one Cinder Fall for instance, she starts off well, with a distinctive look that sets her apart from Ruby. The contrast in appearance and personality make them a good match: Ruby is young, Cinder is older than most of the cast, Ruby is inexperienced and nervous, Cinder is arrogant and seasoned, Ruby is cute and shy, Cinder owns her sexuality, Ruby is open, Cinder is a mystery. All of these are a good start, but we start to fall off because we never get to see the WHY of Cinder. What makes her so dark? Why does she fight for Salem? What fuels her lust for power? None of these ever really get answered, she's simply the bad guy because...well she's the bad guy.**

 **For contrast, let's look at Cloud and Sephiroth. Again, distinct and contrasting appearance. Cloud is short, Seph is tall, Cloud's weapon is wide, Seph's is long, Cloud's hair is spikes, Seph's is long and flowing, Cloud runs hot, Seph is cool and collected. However, when we start getting into motivations, things start flowing together. Both men's internal conflict is based off a need for identity. When Cloud undergoes his crisis (losing his sense of self), it takes Tifa and Aerith to pull him back. When Seph finds out the truth of his origins, his sense of self is shattered as well, but he has no one to confide in, he's lost. So, he goes looking for an identity to hold onto to make sense of the world, and what does he find? Jenova. He accepts that he's meant to be a god, an agent of his 'mother,' and he begins to rip his old world apart. So, what happens when this new self-image is shattered by a lowly Shinra infantryman named Cloud, who dethrones this new god? Seph is forced back into a place of painful uncertainty. This makes him angry, not just at life, but at Cloud specifically. He spends the rest of the game attacking Cloud's identity in retaliation. The whole game revolves around two men who are in desperate search for identity fighting against each other because they see each other as threats to their sense of self. That's why Seph works, in many ways he is Cloud, just a version of him that didn't have the same support network to bring him back from the edge. Cloud is fighting against what he could have been, what he thought he wanted to be. Anywho...shower thoughts, RWBY needs better villains (*stares at Hazel*).**

 **We'll talk fighting styles next time (in-fighter, out-fighter, pressure fighter, counter fighter, etc.).**

 **Yesterday was surreal. Got a stripe on my belt, got my arm popped, went to a Brazilian restaurant with two friends (none of speak the same language besides violence), watched my coach put down 3 kg of steak in amazement, used our phones and our 10 shared words to have a conversation about the devil in the hearts of men, love, and what corrupts a man (Whiskey and Women were thrown out as suggestions by one, which I disagree with, or at the very least, I'm not quitting). All this while my friend asked the band to play Sting's 'Shape of My Heart,' on repeat.**

 **I guess what I'm saying is...there's hope for this world yet folks.**

 **Cr00cy: One think I would like to add to this whole villain talk, is this - there is difference between 'villain' and 'antagonist'.**

 **Villain is simply bad guy/girl -they are evil, have evil goals, and do evil things. Most of the time they are antagonists of the story - but they can be protagonists too.**

 **Antagonists on the other hand do not have to be evil. They simply oppose protagonist. This might be because they have different viewpoints, opposite goals, or even the same goal, but want to achieve it in different ways, or are in situation where one achieving one goal would prevent other from achieving his. Few examples here:**

 **If we would have story following general leading army, and his main goal was to defeat enemy general -said enemy general would be main antagonist of the story. But he wouldn't have to be villain - sure one could write him as basically war criminal, who slaughters innocent, burns whole villages down, and is generally evil person. But at the same time he could be written as good, honorable person, who respects, and is respected, by protagonist. They could even be friends. They conflict would come with different standpoints, and/or viewpoints. They are simply on opposite sides of war.**

 **Another example would be two athletes competing for first place. If one would be protagonist of our story, other will be antagonist. They have the same goal -be the best. But only one can take first place, so they oppose each other.**

 **Like I said, villain can be protagonist of the story. If you are into manga, think Light Yagami from Death Note. He is villain -maybe not from start, but as story progress he definitely becomes one. But he is also main protagonist. His adversary - and antagonist of story - is L who is... maybe not hero, but definitely better person than Light.**

 **Another interesting example is Avengers: Civil war movie. Here we have two heroes - Captain America, and Iron Man - whose world views and goals leads to conflict. They are antagonists to each other, but both can be considered main protagonists of the story(though I think most people agrees that its CA who is protagonists, and IM is antagonist).**

 **So to sum it all up - antagonist in your story don't have to be villain. And if they are villain - at least give them good motivation for doing what they are doing. Good, bad, silly or stupid one - any is better than none.**


	7. Teamwork Makes The Dream Work

**Cr00cy I'm sorry for how ridiculously long this is**

 **CHAPTER 6**

 **Teamwork Makes The Dream Work**

* * *

 **W.S. Quote Book Says:** _"The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team." -Phil Jackson_

 **W.S. Playlist Says:** _I did some things I ain't proud of but I'd never leave your side - Joyner Lucas, 'We Gon Be Alright'_

* * *

Col Markus looked up from the report and grinned. "And they said that you were useless."

Qrow raised an eyebrow. "YOU said I was useless."

Markus cocked his head. "You sure? That sounds like something that's wrong, and I make a habit of not saying things that are wrong."

Qrow snorted. "Apparently things that are truthful or humble aren't high on that list either."

"Now THAT sounds like me."

"You never change Tom."

The man gave a playful shrug. "Why mess with perfection?"

Qrow sighed. "So what do you want to do?"

Markus pulled a cigar from his blouse pocket and began to chew on the end. "I'm glad you asked! I'll tell you what I want to do, I want to start fucking up Fang safehouses like it's going out of style."

"You're a poet Tom, I ever tell you that?"

"Only when you were trying to get laid." He smirked at the Hunter's grimace. "Anyway, how close are your teams to ready?"

Qrow shifted in place. "Tom we just got started, those kids aren't ready to work with the teams."

The officer hummed. "That's unfortunate. Made more so by the fact that I'm about to run enough reconnaissance on that area that I'm going to know the exact number of blades of grass per square kilometer, and I don't intend on sending teams out without Hunters if I have them on hand."

The Hunter frowned. "You're putting me in a bad spot here."

"I wish I had a better spot for you, but this is an opportunity I can't afford to pass up. We know where the Fang are now, but who knows where they'll be tomorrow? In a week? A month?" He sighed. "I still need intel I can act on, so you've got some time. All I'm saying is expedite the process as much as you can. We can't afford to pass this up."

Qrow grunted. "Famous last words."

Markus chuckled. "Aren't they all?"

* * *

Jaune slowly shuffled his way through the darkened camp, exhaustion weighing him down.

They'd actually arrived back from Banner relatively early in the afternoon, but then the debriefs had started. He'd never imagined that a two minute conversation and a trinket could lead to _hours_ of interviews. He'd ended up talking to no less than three separate Atlas officers and been forced to try to recall everything from what the guy was wearing, to the people that had stopped to watch the conversation.

He hoped something came of it, he really did, but he couldn't fathom half of what he and Yang had shared being useful.

He winced at that, he hadn't wanted her to get pulled into the hours long interrogation, but the interviewers had been insistent that they wanted as many different views as possible.

Now all he wanted was get back to his tent and get some sleep before Winter tried to ambush him in the morning. His hand reached out and grabbed the fabric on the tent flap.

 _I just need to be quiet. If I can avoid waking up Winter, I won't have to tell this story for the hundredth time today._

He cringed as he pulled back the flap to reveal a very awake Winter, leaning back in her chair waiting on him.

"Well, fuck." He grumbled.

"No thank you." She deadpanned. "I will however, take whatever info you have from your little field trip."

He sighed. "Peter. Faunus merchant. Argument. Stopped it. Got fang pendant. All very scared."

She raised an eyebrow. "While I appreciate your respect for my time, I'm afraid you're going to have to be a bit more specific."

He ran a hand down his face. "Look, I don't KNOW anything. A merchant handed me a white fang after getting really scared. I'm not some super detective, but I'm pretty sure that he was trying to tell me something. That's about the millionth time I've had to say that today, so if we could, can we skip the grill session?"

 _That's probably not going to end well._

He prepared for the rebuttal, but she just shrugged.

"I suppose. I was simply curious."

"I know, I'm just tired." He shook his head. "I don't know what they're going to get out of that anyway."

"Probably not a lot by itself."

He chuckled. "Gee, thanks."

She rolled her eyes. "They don't look at your report in a vacuum Jaune. They're going to compare what they got from you with what they got from the rest of the teams out there today. When they look at the reports in aggregate, they'll be able to see recurring themes and determine what's most likely reliable and what's not."

"That sounds like the most boring thing that I've ever heard, and I've sat through Professor Port's classes."

She huffed. "War is boring Jaune. If you're doing it right, it should be like a fight, only exciting because you're winning."

"I don't know, most fights are pretty exciting to me."

"That's because you almost die in most fights you're involved in I imagine."

He sighed as he climbed into his bunk. "You don't know that."

"Yes, I'm sure you're secretly a battle hardened veteran that has just been allowing me to win."

His head hit the pillow. "Now you're getting it."

She shook her head. "You're a strange man Jaune Arc."

He yawned. "So I've been told." His eyes drifted closed, only to snap back open. "Wait, do you have anything planned for tomorrow morning?"

"Yes, we have a team training session tomorrow morning in preparation for standing up as a unit." She answered calmly.

"No, do YOU have anything planned for tomorrow morning?" He clarified.

She scoffed. "I'm not sure what you're implying."

He groaned and covered his head with his pillow. "You really are like Qrow."

There was a long silence, one that made Jaune more than a bit nervous. It was a dangerous gamble. On one hand, he might have just sealed his fate. On the other, he might have saved himself if she wanted to prove how different she was from the older Hunter.

"Good night Jaune. Set your alarm for 06:00."

 _Oh thank the Brothers!_

* * *

Jaune's eyes popped open to a darkened tent.

He quietly pulled out his scroll, shielding the light with his hand so as to not wake Winter.

 _05:40. I can get a few more minutes of sleep. Although..._

He shifted towards the edge of the bed as quietly as he could, peeking his head over and looking at the sleeping Specialist. His eyes darted around the room, before they fell on the object of his search...a pair of large white headphones, sitting on the lone desk in the room.

 _It this a good idea?_

He shimmed out of bed, slowly climbing down the steel frame.

 _No, but it's happening._

He tiptoed over to the desk, picking up the headphones and beginning to sync them to his scroll.

 _I know the perfect song._

He leaned over his scroll, blocking its light with his body as he flicked through his favorites. His trap prep'd, he turned and began slinking over to the sleeping form of Winter.

 _So peaceful, so calm, what must it be like to have that ruined?_

He leaned over her, arms extending and hands pulling the headphones apart to place around her ears.

 _Almost there!_

"Do it." She whispered, her eyes still closed. "With you gone, we'll be team WNR. 'Winners.' I know being one might be a new and uncomfortable experience for you, but the others might like it."

He jumped back like he'd been burned. "H-how long?"

She popped one eye open. "Since you swung down from the top like a Beringel."

He chuckled nervously. "Turnabout is fair play?"

She sat up and sighed. "What exactly were you going to subject me to?"

He reluctantly held out the headphones, turning down the volume as she placed them on her head.

 _'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar!_

Her eyes narrowed. "This is your song? This is something that you purchased with money and then put on your scroll?"

He coughed. "It's a power ballad."

She shook her head, her undone hair whipping about. "I judge you. I judge you harshly."

"It's not THAT bad." He defended.

"Get your clothes on, get out of my tent, and go get your friends. Maybe by the time you get back, my feelings of hopelessness toward you will have abated."

He sighed. "I just-"

"Stop. Talking."

He mock saluted before finding and pulling on his clothes, grumbling as he stepped out into the cool Atlas air.

"Nora gets it." He grumbled.

* * *

The three Hunters-in-training wandered behind the Specialist, winding through the familiar path of tents on their way towards the gym.

"So...what are we doing today?" Jaune asked carefully.

"You're not off the hook."

Nora patted him on the head comfortingly. "It's ok, I'm sure you'll be out of the dog-house eventually."

"It's not like-" He sighed. "Ren?"

The green boy cleared his throat. "Specialist Schnee, what exactly did you have in mind?"

She smiled at the boy. "Trust building exercises."

Ren raised an eyebrow at that. "That seems...rudimentary."

She chuckled. "Maybe so, but I think it's worth the effort."

"Can you at least tell us what kind of trust exercises?" Jaune asked as they reached the entrance to the gym.

"Sure." She said as she held the door open for them, allowing the team to shuffle in. They immediately took stock of the stark change in gym.

Usually the gym was almost empty save for a few early risers. Now? It seemed like every member of the Beowolves was gathered around the mats, eagerly watching the entrance for their arrival.

"Uhhh…." Jaune articulated.

Winter placed a hand on his shoulder. "The kind of exercises that build _their_ trust."

"How exactly do we do that?" Ren asked.

The Huntress smirked. "Show off a little."

"My fellow Beowolves!" Stevens called from the crowd, a giant grin on his face. "It's the moment you've all been waiting for!" He threw his arms up in the air. "Specialist Fight Club!"

The soldiers erupted in cheers.

* * *

Jaune and Ren collapsed next to Winter, both struggling for breath after their hard fought match.

"Fuck your ninja bullshit Ren." Jaune wheezed.

His friend groaned as he held his side. "I'm sorry, are you complaining over there with your giant pool of Aura?"

"You're just jealous that my Aura's bigger than yours."

Winter rolled her eyes. "Children."

"You love us." Jaune argued.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, I tolerate you at best." Her eyes flicked over to Nora, standing in the middle of the mat, and throwing soldiers around the arena while howling like a 'Beowolf.' "Except for her. I may be falling for her."

Ren chuckled. "Nora does have that effect on people."

Jaune punched his friend in the arm. "You'd know."

His friend coughed and averted his gaze. "Being in a relationship is making you bolder."

"More insufferable I sure." Winter mumbled. "Do you two get why we're doing this?"

Jaune watched as Stevens went sailing across the mat, only to be replaced by Peter and Sam charging back into the fray. "To let Nora vent energy?"

Winter snorted. "Unintended side benefit. It's so they get a sense of your strength. You're Specialist now. _Their_ Specialist. You need to feel larger than life to these people. You'll have to be for this to work."

"But that's not the only reason, is it?" Ren asked.

"No." She admitted. "It's also so you can feel how fragile they are."

Peter crashed to the ground with a groan as Sam tried to dance out of Nora's reach.

"They're masters of their craft, they truly are. They'll save your life, but...bullets aren't warnings for them."

Ren nodded. "Message received."

"We'll take care of them." Jaune agreed.

Winter raised an eyebrow as Sam slammed into the mat. "I believe you might have to save them from your teammate first."

Nora pounded her chest in the center of the mat. "IS THERE NO ONE ELSE!?"

Winter poked him in the side. "I think that's your cue."

Jaune groaned as he gained his feet. "Do I have to?"

"Hit her with your Aura." Ren teased.

"Shut up Ren."

"I believe the saying goes...you know you love me."

"Like a brother." Jaune grumbled as he took the mat.

* * *

Jaune's breaths came in gasp as sweat poured of him in streams.

With a cry, he swung again, desperate to find some hole in his opponent's defense.

His blade met the haft of Nora's hammer.

She growled at him, before pushing him off with a yell of her own.

The crowd was going wild.

He caught himself as he began to stumble backwards, eyes locking on Nora once more, her hammer in full swing. He watched as her finger tightened around the trigger.

 _Oh fuck._

He hunkered hurriedly behind his shield as the rocket propelled weapon slammed home.

The gathered soldiers fell silent at the impact.

It was earth shattering. Everything hurt. His forearm felt like it was about to snap, his shoulder about to pop out of his socket, his teeth about to rattle out of his head. He shook his head, trying to clear it and preparing for the inevitable follow up strike.

Nora smiled wide as she began her downward swing, ready to finish the shaky knight.

Just as the hammer closed, he was saved by an angel.

"Stop!" They heard Winter's voice call.

Nora's hammer stopped a hand away from his face.

"Boo." She pouted as she shouldered her weapon, the disappointment of being stopped clear on her face.

He let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks Nora."

She smiled back at him. "I'll get you next time F.L."

The Beowolves lost their collective minds, shouting and whooping the show the two had just put on.

The Atlas specialist made her way over to them, brows drawn together in confusion.

"What was that?" She asked.

"What was what?" He responded, just as confused.

Her gaze narrowed. "That shit I just saw with my eyes, the one where you _caught_ a rocket fueled…whatever the hell she's using."

Nora preened proudly. "Can I interest you in a pre-order?"

He cocked his head to the side. "What did you want me to do, NOT block?"

She opened her mouth, closed it again, and shook her head. "Do you have any idea how much force must have been behind that swing?"

"A lot?" He tried.

"Oh, that's nothing," Nora butted in. "Jaune-Jaune does that all the time. There was the time with the Deathstalker and then the horse-thing." She ticked off on her fingers.

Winter's gaze focused on him again. "All the time huh?"

He decided it was a particularly un-angel like look.

He swallowed. "Yeah…I guess."

She hummed, then nodded once, and turned to yell across the gym.

"Hey Stevens!"

A burly soldier popped up from his place alongside the mats. "Ma'am?"

"Congratulations, you've just been fired. Specialist Arc is our new point man."

He held a hand to his heart in mock-insult. "You're replacing me? After all we've been through."

She rolled her eyes. "Make sure he doesn't screw it up." She turned back to Jaune. "You're with Stevens till I say otherwise."

She shifted her gaze over to Nora. "And you…stay away from things that go 'boom' with that monstrosity you use."

Nora saluted smartly.

She turned on her heel and began walking away.

"Wait!" Jaune shouted after her. "What's a point man?"

She just waived over her shoulder. "You'll figure it out. Have fun, don't catch too many bullets."

Very un-angel like he decided.

* * *

 _Well, this could be going better._ Qrow thought, watching team RWBY fan out in front of him.

Ruby's eyes were locked on his center mass, as he shifted through his stances, waiting for an opening.

 _Heh, taught you well Short-Stack._

She'd done a good job of having the team isolate him, cornering him against the wall of the secondary training area, cutting off all means of escape.

He watched as her eyes flashed.

"Hammer and Sickle!" She shouted, rocking forward under the influence of her Semblance.

"What!?" Weiss cried.

 _Oh Rubes._

Her eyes widened as she realized her mistake, closing too fast to stop herself. He shot forward to meet her, his blade catching her scythe and pushing in to the side as he wrapped his other arm around the back of her head, using his superior strength to pull her head down. He winced as his knee slammed home.

 _This is so much more enjoyable when it's the kid._

"Ruby!" Yang shouted, pushing off at the same time as Blake, and colliding with her faunus partner on her way to her sister.

"Watch it!"

"You watch it!"

He sighed, slamming another knee home before shifting Ruby between him and Weiss, forcing the ex-heiress to cut the glyph she was summoning short. He leveled his weapon with her, firing round after round at the girl, making her dance backward.

He threw Ruby to the ground, giving chase. His heavy blade crashed into the girl in white's light rapier. He commend her on how well she handled the strain.

She didn't handle the follow-up left hook quite as well.

Weiss' knees buckled momentarily, and he didn't let her recover. His boot slammed home in her stomach, driving the breath from her lungs, and her from her feet.

 _And then there was Firecracker._

He spun and caught his niece's shot-gauntlet on the flat of his blade. He shifted with her as she moved from side to side, trying to find an opening in his defence, all the while, watching the growing frustration of her partner trying to aim Gambol Shroud over the blonde's shoulder.

"Yang move! I've got a shot!"

"I've got him." She growled back.

 _Eh, not so much._

He dropped back and slashed at the girl's lead leg, causing her to cry out in pain as her leg was swept out from under her. He fired a few rounds into her stomach to encourage her to stay down. A round pinged off his Aura.

 _Bad kitty._

He dipped to the side, avoiding the follow-up salvo as he returned one of his own. The girl faded into shadow as the rounds struck home.

 _Semblance bullshit._

He covered the distance between them in an instant, cleaving his blade through yet another clone, then another.

 _She's about to make her move._

He sensed the girl appear behind him, blade at the ready to slice down into his shoulder...before she tripped on a fold in the mat.

 _Sorry kid, Semblance bullshit._

He swung his sword like a baseball bat, catching her with the flat of his blade.

 _Guess you didn't have nine lives after all…I feel bad about that one...I blame Tai._

He watched as Ruby shot back across the mat, ready and willing to re-engage.

He raised a hand.

"We're done."

The reaper skidded to a halt, barely stopping before running into him.

"Awww, but why?" She complained.

He sighed. "I think you hav-"

"WHAT THE HELL BLAKE! YOU GOT IN MY WAY!"

"I GOT IN YOUR WAY? YOU BLOCKED MY SHOT!"

"ONLY CAUSE YOU DIDN'T STICK TO THE PLAN!"

"WHAT PLAN?! RUBY WAS SHOUTING NONSENSE!"

Qrow watched as the team leader slunk down.

"DON'T YOU DARE BLAME HER!"

"SHE'S NOT MAKING SENSE!"

"MAYBE IT'D MAKE SENSE IF YOU STUCK AROUND!"

"GODS, I'M SORRY! LET. IT. GO."

"THEN GET OUT OF MY FACE!"

"STOP BEING A BITCH!"

Qrow coughed. "I, uh, think you have some...interpersonal issues to work through."

Ruby nervously glanced back at the two raging partners. "...Yeah." She turned towards the two. "Guys, we need to-"

"You know what? I'm taking a page out of your book, and walking the fuck away." Yang snapped as she pushed past Blake and headed towards the entrance.

"Maybe I'll take one from yours and sulk about it." The raven-haired girl shouted after her, earning her a one-fingered salute from the blonde. She huffed and began walking towards the opposite exit.

Ruby buried her head in her hands.

"Hey now." Qrow placed a hand on her shoulder. "It wasn't that bad." He comforted.

She sighed and looked up. "At least I have Weiss." Her gaze panned around the room. "Weiss?"

Chief Bryan coughed from the edge of the mat. "She took off about the time the yelling started kid."

Ruby groaned before sulking towards the exit Yang had taken.

"I'll catch up with you in a bit Short-Stack!" Qrow shouted after the girl.

Chief Bryan slowly made his way over to him. "Qrow."

"Yeah?"

"That shit was that bad. That shit was terrible."

He sighed. "You know what I love about you Bryan? You're fountain of optimism."

The Chief snorted. "We're all going to be fountains of something if that happens in the field." He scowled. "I thought they were a team, what happened?"

Qrow ran a hand down his face. "A lot Bryan. A fucking lot."

* * *

Jaune stood outside the shoot-house in the bright sun, listening as Stevens shifted furniture and targets inside. He'd thought the man would be upset at losing his position as 'Point Man' for the team. Oh how wrong he'd been.

Stevens had immediately rushed up to him as soon as Winter had left the gym, eager to begin his instruction, and assuring him that it was 'a cool fucking job, bro.'

It didn't sound cool. It sounded like getting shot at more, which in Jaune's book, was very un-fucking cool...bro.

Stevens burst through the doorway of the hastily constructed two-story building, grinning despite breathing heavily.

"Whew! Ok, we're all set up! This is going to be awesome!"

"Is it?" Jaune asked. "I'm not sure if I've got the right equipment for this."

Stevens snorted. "Bro, you've got that big-ass shield, you'll be perfect. Also, Aura!"

"Ok, fair point."

Stevens nodded. "It's easy man-er Spec."

"Please, Jaune or Bro, whichever one you can make yourself say." Jaune pleaded.

"Bro." The larger man agreed. "Ok, let's take a step back and look at the house."

Stevens led him a few meters away from the house and clapped his hands together. "Ok, tell me what we're looking at."

Jaune's eyes scanned over the building. "It's a two-story house, looks like only one door…" He gaze traveled up. "Four windows."

Stevens grinned. "Good! That's a start. What about the approach, how are we coming in?"

The blond glanced around. "House is right along the main road." He hummed as he walked to the side to take a look at the side of the home. "I guess we could come around the side if we wanted to hop some fences."

The soldier nodded again. "Yep. What's you determining factor for deciding what to use?"

Jaune thought about it for a moment before shrugging. "Team make-up?"

"Kinda. It really comes down to time vs risk." He waved a hand around them. "I've got to look at the layout of any given target, and determine if there are too many risk, like buildings that overlook the approach, lack of cover, ambush points, and if I need to select an alternate but slower route. Now, I may decide that the slower route, while containing less obvious risk, is increasing my exposure time to the point that it's actually more hurtful than helpful."

"How do you decide?"

Stevens shrugged. "Experience, research beforehand, team capabilities, all of these will influence your choice." He started walking back towards the house and motioned for Jaune to follow. "Now, once we get to the house itself, we've got a couple of questions." He knocked on the thin wall. "Do we go through the door, or do we make our own door?"

Jaune raised an eyebrow. "Make a door?"

Stevens made an explosion noise with his mouth.

Jaune shook his head. "Never let Nora know that's an option. This a time thing too?"

"Yep. Though it also matters what we're doing. Mass hostage situations get weird when you involve explosives. Anywho, let's say we're going in that front door." He leaned into the side of the house and shuffled up to the door, motioning for Jaune to join him. "We're going to form a stack, and you're going give the signal that you're ready. Anything could work, but a tap system is easy. Just tap the guy behind you, and he taps the guy behind him. The tap goes down the line, then comes back up, and when it reaches you again, you know they're all ready."

Jaune nodded. "Ok, easy enough."

"Now, ideally, the guys inside have no idea what's about to happen. If we have flashbangs, we toss those in." He mimicked the action of throwing something through the door. "Then we move." He spun, rushing through the door with his rifle up. Jaune stepped through after him, almost running into the man as he came to a stop just inside the room. "You're going to pick a direction to start your sweep, right or left, and peel off, scanning over the furniture and potential hiding spots, engaging targets as they pop up." He made a sweeping motion with his rifle as he walked through the room. "Just remember, point man is never wrong, whatever direction he goes, the next guy goes the other. We're going to fill this room." He lowered his weapon. "So uh, what all are you packing anyway, besides that sword and shield? That's not really it is it?"

Jaune shrugged sheepishly, causing the other man to groan. "Come on Bro! You've got to expand that arsenal."

Jaune chuckled. "With what?"

Stevens whipped his pistol from the holster on his hip with a grin. "Like this! Atlas craftsmanship at its finest." He quickly safed the weapon and removed it's magazine before passing it over. "You need yourself a piece."

Jaune turned the weapon over in his hands, noting the worn grooves and scratches etched into the weapon. "This seems…"

"-Old? Yeah, it belonged to my old man."

"He do this too?"

"Yeah, same unit and everything." Stevens replied with a smile.

Jaune smiled back. "Must be proud."

Stevens shrugged. "Maybe, didn't get to have that conversation with him."

Jaune's smile fell. "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't-"

Stevens waved him off. "It is what it is, bro. Mom hates it though, thinks I'll end up like him. Can't help herself really."

Jaune's eyes found the floor. "I uh, know the feeling."

Stevens slapped him on his arm. "That's moms' job, to worry. Back to the cool shit. You got any questions?"

Jaune sighed. "Too many. It's a lot to take in."

Stevens laughed. "Don't worry about it, we'll run through it till you get it. I think I've got a few ideas on how to use that shield of yours. Oh, speaking of which." He dug into his pocket and pulled out a set of ear plugs. "You're going to want these if you like hearing."

The young knight accepted the plugs and started to insert them before Stevens caught his hand. "Spec, Jaune, just remember...we need you to make a decision out there. Right, left, up, down, right, wrong. It doesn't matter, anything is better than being indecisive. You got to be able to make the call."

Jaune nodded. "Sounds like a lot of responsibility."

Stevens smirked. "That's why they pay you those Specialist's bucks, bro."

* * *

Blake stormed through the camp, not really sure where she was going anymore. She'd taken off from the gym in huff, not exactly her proudest moment. She'd quickly discovered that she didn't really know any of the base besides from the Ursa and the Beowolves' quarters. She hadn't exactly been excited about the idea of exploring more of the Atlas military encampment and getting recognized. She sighed in relief as she spotted the familiar Usra flag waving a few rows of tents over. She ducked behind a section of tents, ready to beeline back to her tent...and hope Yang wasn't there. She balked as she almost ran into an older soldier leaning against the back of a tent and smoking.

"Shit." He mumbled as he tossed the cigarette to the ground and stomped it out. "What's up Spec?"

Her eyes flicked up and caught sight of his dog ears, she thought she recognized his as the Chief from the Beowolves. "Chief Zane, right?"

He coughed. "That's me, what can I do for you?"

"Just getting lost. What are you doing over here anyway?"

He shuffled embarrassed. "Karen, my wife, has spies everywhere in the 'Wolves, and doesn't exactly approve of my little habit you caught me at." He lowered his voice. "A man should be able to enjoy a smoke every now and again." He complained.

She smirked. "Your secret is safe with me. There's far worse habits."

"That's what I said!" He shook his head and smiled. "But really, how you doing?"

"Fine."

"Fine."

He responded with her.

Her jaw went slack and he laughed. "You're just like Noir, my oldest. People that are fine don't storm through camps and stick to their tent." He shrugged. "We don't have to talk about it if you don't want, but I'm here if you do."

She sighed. "I just...this place puts me on edge. My team puts me on edge."

"You don't like Atlas?"

"We don't have a great history."

"You work with mini-Schnee." He pointed out.

Her lips twitched upwards at that. "I'll tell her you said that."

"I thought this was a safe-space!" He complained.

She chuckled. "Weiss is different, but I keep getting all these looks." She glanced around the camp before looking back to him. "How do you stand it?"

He snorted. "You get used to it. People get excited about the ears, want to know if they want to touch them, and you get used to who you're just not going to have a civil conversation with." He smirked. "But then, people are looking at us for different reasons."

She gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?"

He held up a hand. "I've said too much."

She shook her head. "I don't think you get to leave it like that."

He looked away. "Well, I uh...this goes no further than here, but…" He coughed. "I may have heard the words 'dat ass,' getting thrown out a lot in reference to you."

She colored in understanding. "Oh."

"Yeah...I'm not exactly surprised. You guys rolled in here as some pretty gorgeous Huntresses. You probably have a fan club by now."

"Not the reaction I expected."

He shrugged. "Sorry? Take it as a compliment? Come to me or Bryan if anyone does anything, we'll sort 'em."

She smiled. "Thanks, but I can handle it."

He laughed. "I'm sure you can. So, you said your team was putting you on edge too?"

She frowned. "Yeah, but it's my fault too I guess. I…" She paused. "Have you ever let someone down? Like in a big way?"

He snorted. "More often than I'd like. You think you let them down?"

"I KNOW I did." She sighed. "Especially my partner. I-I just didn't know what to do, and so I folded. I ran."

He nodded, giving her the space to quit or continue.

"I expected it to be hard, when I came back...and honestly, it should've been so much worse, but-"

"But it still sucks to have it thrown in your face?" He offered.

"Yes!" She exclaimed. Her ears flattened. "I know that's not fair, but-"

"It's totally fair." He interrupted, causing her head to pop up. "Don't get me wrong, you fucked up, sounds like you fucked up big."

"Thanks." She sulked.

He raised a hand. "Let me finish. But fucking up doesn't mean that you can't start again. You've got to own your faults, that's something you can't run away from. But if you're there, telling her that you accept that they're angry, and you're there to make it work, you can rebuild that trust."

She sighed. "I don't think it's going to be that easy."

"Maybe not, but let me ask you, have you tried talking to her about it, or have you avoided the conversation like the plague?"

Her silence answered him. "So she's been the one to have to bring it up right? Kinda makes it seem like she wants to fix it, and you don't care."

"I do!" She argued.

"Hey, don't tell it to me. Ursa camp is that way." He pointed with his thumb.

She took and deep breath and slowly let it out. "Yeah...any other advice before I head over there?"

"Nah, I'm out. Unless she smokes, then I can spare you a few as a peace offering."

She smirked. "I don't think so. Thanks, and not for the smokes."

He smiled. "Who says it wasn't in my own self-interest? Your blonde is with my blond, so I hear. Can't have my Spec moping around cause he's got girl troubles. We've already got 99 problems, I don't need that to be one. Besides, Karen would kill me if she knew I didn't try to help young hearts."

She laughed. "So selfless. Is there anything she won't come after you for?"

"I'll let you know when I find out."

She shook her head. "I'll let you know how this goes then. If you hear explosions, it's either going poorly, or we're making progress."

* * *

Qrow found her about where he'd thought, at the top of a guard tower looking out into the surrounding forest. She'd always loved to climb, ever since she was little, some kind of weird comfort blanket for the girl. He'd lost time of the number of times him or Tai had had to talk her down from a tree when her and Yang fought.

"How you doing Short-Stack?" He called up the ladder.

"Go away."

He sighed. "Cool, I'm coming up."

"Whatever." He heard her mumble as he started to ascend the steel rung ladder.

"What we looking at?" He asked as his head cleared the floor of the tower.

"Trees. I've decided they're easier to deal with than people." She sat with her arms wrapped around her knees, resting her head on her arms.

He chuckled. "That's true. People are easier to deal with if you're tipsy. Not that I recommend that!" He quickly amended.

Her lips twitched upwards. "You're dumb."

He smirked. "I'm much more tolerable when I'm not fully sober."

"You're really not."

He shook his head. "Agree to disagree I guess." They sat in silence for a few moments. "You want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

"Fair enough." He sat against the wall of the tower, looking out into the woods with her, letting the silence hang for a while before trying another approach. "Hey Short-Stack?"

"Yeah?"

"What'd you and the kid call your ridiculous team back in Mistral?"

She snorted. "Depends on who you ask. Either Ranger and Junior."

"Junior isn't a color."

"That's what I said!"

"That the kid's idea?"

"Yep."

"Figures, I can't imagine being stuck with the kid for that long, listening to all his nonsense."

"Ok." Ruby drawled sarcastically.

He raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

She shot him a look. "You love Jaune. You practically dote on him."

He scoffed. "I do not."

She put on a deep, mocking voice. "Imma kill you Angst-Knight! But also, let me teach you to fight, and also give you advice on girls."

"Ok, I definitely didn't do the last part. I put him through a wall in Mistral!"

"Lover's spat." She argued.

"You and Yang are spending too much time with that kid." He sighed. "He's not too bad I guess, so long as we can keep him alive."

"He's easy to talk to." Ruby agreed. "Everything was easy with RNJR. No White Fang, no SDC, no angry sisters."

"You jealous?"

She pulled her knees in tighter and sighed. "No, I know it's not like that. They've been hurting too, they just...made it work."

"And you want it to work with RWBY?"

She groaned. "Is it so much to ask? We all went through so much to get back together. We've probably seen half of Remnant at this point, but we finally get the band back together, and all we do is walk on eggshells and fight. Weiss is ashamed that she wasn't there, same with Yang, same with Blake. Everyone's so busy feeling guilty that we can't actually work together." She sighed. "Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy to be together again, I just wanted...I don't know."

He nodded. "I know. You kids are all brave as hell in my book for making it this far-"

"-But that doesn't stop us from sucking?" She finished for him.

He winced. "I was going to say that you're having growing pains. You're not the same people you were when you left. It's natural that you need time to adjust. But it's always easier to avoid the problem than talk about it, they're going to need a push."

"Am I the push?" She asked.

He smiled and ruffled her hair. "'Fraid so Rubes. Comes with being a leader."

"What if it doesn't work out? What if we're just broken?"

"Oh you're definitely broken, but that doesn't mean you can't work. Sometimes the stuff that's broken works best."

"That doesn't make sense. You don't make any sense." She accused.

He pulled her over and kissed the top of her head, despite her half-hearted struggles. "You'll figure it out, you always do. Come back when you're ready." He turned and started down the ladder. "Love you Short-Stack."

She waited until his head had disappeared to call after him.

"Love you too drunkle...thanks."

He smiled. They'd be alright.

* * *

Winter sighed as she walked back into the Beowolves' camp. Unsurprisingly, Col Markus had chosen her to stand-up the Alert operations in preparation for a strike against the Fang when they found them. Which meant planning and coordination, a lot of planning and coordination. She just wanted to take this brief break to listen to some music, catch Chief and get caught up, and-

"Hey First, you've got a visitor." Sam called as she entered the common area.

 _Great._

"Thanks Sam, who and where?"

"Your sister. I think she's in your tent."

Winter let out a sigh of relief. Talking to Weiss had been a welcome distraction since her team arrived at the base. She made her way over to her tent and grabbed the flap.

 _Just a nice, relaxing chance to catch up with my-_

She pulled back the flap, revealing a nervous and stressed looking Weiss sitting on her bed.

 _-obviously emotionally distressed sister._

"O-oh hey Winny. How are you doing?"

She sighed, collapsing on the bed next Weiss. "Better than you by the looks of it little sister."

"I'm doing fine! I just thought that I'd come by and see my favorite sister."

"Your only sister if I recall correctly."

"But with father, who knows?"

Winter smirked. "I suppose that's true, but as much as I love to chat, something's bothering you."

Weiss sighed. "Maybe."

"is it your team?"

"Maybe."

Her eyes narrowed. "Is it Qrow?"

Her sister shook her head. "Not in this case."

"Well, two out of three says that it's someone related to him." She deadpanned.

Weiss laughed. "True." She looked at the floor. "It's them, it's Blake, it's me."

"Did you have a fight?"

Weiss smirked. "We had a fight, and our inability to fight led to us having a fight."

"Ah." Winter said. "I see...I think."

"I'm just...it's not that I don't love all of them...it's just…"

"Not like it was?"

Weiss nodded. "I was so relieved when I got away from father. I thought that if I could just reach them again, everything would be ok, you know?"

"And it wasn't?"

"No, it's ok...it's just we're all uncomfortable. Afraid to mess up what we have again, so we're all holding back, creating space."

Winter hummed. "And what did you do about it?"

Weiss hung her head. "Nothing, that's the problem. I saw it starting to come apart, and I-" She swallowed. "I didn't want to go through it again, so I left before it could get any worse."

"That may not have been the worst thing."

"I should have done something!" She argued.

Winter shook her head. "Do you think they were ready to listen? Weiss you can't avoid some fights. Sometimes people have to fight to heal."

"So I shouldn't do anything?" The younger girl huffed.

Winter sighed. "I didn't say that. I'm saying that it sounds like they've opened up some old wounds that didn't really heal. You're scared that it's going to lead to the team breaking up again, but it may bring you closer than you've been." She placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "You've just got to be there while they work it out. Show them all that you want it to work out."

"What do I do?"

"Find someplace to talk, you tent, the perimeter, wherever, and let them say their piece. Jump in if you have to, or help your team leader do so, but let them work through it."

"And if they don't?" Weiss asked worriedly.

"We can always requisition you new teammates."

"Winter!"

She laughed. "You all fought across continents to find each other, it'll work out. It just might be painful."

Weiss sighed. "Yeah."

"I've got some music you can listen to to get yourself ready for it." She offered.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "I'm trying to rebuild my team, not murder them, thank you. Though the second option might be easier and more satisfying."

"You just have poor taste."

Weiss shook her head and pulled her sister into a hug. "Thanks Winny, for everything."

Winter smiled and squeezed her back. "What are sisters for?"

* * *

Yang was on a mission.

That mission? To locate one Jaune Arc. He had boyfriend duties to fulfill.

She'd started at the most obvious place, his tent. He wasn't there, and thankfully, after asking around, she found out he wasn't hanging out with Winter either. This wasn't a conversation she wanted to have around the woman. Sam had pointed her in the direction of the shoot-house, saying he had headed that way with Stevens. Sure enough, as she approached, she heard the distinct crack of gunfire coming from within. She followed the noise until she arrived at a two story house, the sight that greeted her immediately improving her mood.

Jaune was standing in a squared stance, holding a pistol, trying, and mostly failing, to hit a target around 5-meters off. The whole time, Stevens was providing encouragement and instruction, moving around, adjusting the blond's stance and hold on the gun.

She must have watched for five minutes.

It was adorable...adorkable.

When the magazine ran dry again, she coughed, causing both men to spin around to face her.

She grinned. "My, my Ladykiller, widening our net are we?"

Jaune and Stevens choked and sputtered. Stevens was the first to recover, shaking his head and grinning.

"Ma'am, I'd never move in on your territory."

She smirked. "Smart, you think the Fang is bad? They got nothing on me."

The man laughed. "I don't doubt it."

"If you're done getting handsy with my man, I need to borrow him."

"Sounds like my cue."

Jaune passed him the pistol. "Thanks man, I appreciate it. Sorry I'm a slow learner."

Stevens scoffed as he holstered the weapon. "Nah, you'll get it." He turned and nodded to Yang as he began to walk off. "Ma'am, he's all yours."

"True story."

Stevens got a few meters away before he spun. "Hey Bro!"

Jaune sighed. "Yeah Stevens?"

"Just remember." He waved a hand towards the false village. "Cameras, cameras everywhere. If you want my-"

"Thank you Stevens. Bye Stevens."

The soldier grinned and saluted. "Roger that Spec. Have fun."

Jaune shook his head. "That fucking guy."

Yang giggled as she bumped into him. "He's trying to be helpful."

Jaune smiled. "He is. What brings you my way?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Maybe I did want to find someplace without cameras." She teased.

He started to move after Stevens. "Hold up, I think I can still catch him if I run."

She laughed as she caught his arm. "Ok, ok, you caught me. I wanted to bitch."

"Oh, what'd I do? I'm already sorry."

She shook her head. "It's not you, but you are dating me, so you get to listen. It was in the contract."

He hummed. "I've got to sit down and read that at some point."

"Short version is 'listen to me' and 'I'm always right.'"

"Oh, that seems easy enough."

"Isn't it?" She motioned to a spot of grass next to the building. "Get comfy."

He sighed. "Yeah?"

"Blake." She answered.

He nodded. "Makes sense."

They plopped down on the ground. "You ready?" She asked.

He held up a finger and shifted before nodding. "By all means."

"I just can't fucking believe her sometimes." She growled. "We were training with Qrow."

He winced. "I'm sorry."

She flicked him. "And she keeps getting in my way! I can't corner Qrow, and it's her fault! It's not enough that you leave, but now you're going to get in the way?"

"Maybe you could try-"

She cut him off. "Baby, I know you're new at this, but I'm not looking for advice. I need you to nod and occasionally say, 'what a bitch.'"

"What a bitch."

"I know, right! I try to talk to her about it-"

"Did you yell at-I mean, what a bitch."

She nodded. "I just-." She sighed. "Every time I look at her, I get this mix of emotions. I'm so pissed that I can't see straight, but at the same time, it's like a huge weight off my shoulders. She's my best friend...we're not supposed to be like this."

He nodded.

"But she keeps avoiding it! She never wants to talk about it. I"m trying to get it out of the way. To have the fight so we can be done with it. She's scared, she's always just so scared."

"What a-"

She smirked as she put a finger on his lips. "Hush. You're overdoing it." She sighed. "I just want my partner back."

He waited patiently.

She nodded. "Ok, you're allowed to try to be helpful now."

He shook his head. "You're too much."

"You love it."

"Gods help me, I do." He ran a hand through his hair. "Yang, I don't know what to tell you. I think you're right to be angry-"

She nodded in agreement.

"But not everyone handles conflict like you do."

"You think I'm being too hard on her?"

He raised his hands defensively. "Didn't say that. I'm just saying that looking for the fight doesn't seem very...Blake. I think that she needs a chance to get it out on her terms. Without you getting angry. Yangry if you will."

She smirked.

"I'm sorry this isn't groundbreaking, but I think you just need to talk to her. Let her get it all out. THEN decide if you guys still need that fight. Maybe. Maybe not."

She sighed. "I know." She shoved him. "When did you get so smart?"

He laughed. "Just faking it till I make it. How am I doing?"

His eyes widened as her lips met his. She smirked again as she broke off. "How do you think?"

"Can I get a second opinion?"

She laughed as she closed in again. He met her this time, deepening the kiss, bringing her into him. His hands moved of their own volition, exploring and caressing, Yang moaned approvingly into him.

He groaned as she broke off again, giggling. "Excited?"

"Very."

She shook her head. "Not tonight. Someone smart just gave me some good advice I need to follow up on. Besides, cameras."

"What cameras? Those are just a rumor. Also, who's this asshole handing out advice? I'll fight him."

"Later." She promised, tapping him on the nose.

He sighed. "Later." He agreed.

She kissed him again, a peck on the lips. "Jaune, Ladykiller, thank you for listening."

He smiled. "Always Bright-Eyes."

* * *

Ruby walked in to the tent to find Weiss arranging to-go boxes in a circle around the tent.

"Weiss?"

The girl shot up, bumping her head on the top bunk.

Ruby winced. "Sorry."

The ex-heiress rubbed the back of her head. "No, it's my fault. You just startled me."

The reaper looked at the treys. "What's all this?"

"I thought we could talk." She started slowly. "They had tuna melts, and I remember back at Beacon-"

Ruby shot forward, enveloping the girl in white in a hug. "Thank you Weiss. I just want it to be like it was."

Weiss wrapped her arms around her. "I know, me too." She said softly.

Ruby pulled away. "What about Yang and Blake?"

Weiss sighed. "Chief Bryan and Robin said they found them and were sending them this way."

Ruby gave her a small smile. "You know it's going to be a long night, right?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Is anything easy when it comes to our team?"

"We're pretty good at arguing."

The girl in white chuckled. "What a distinction."

The tent flap being pulled back caused both girls to spin. Yang popped her head it. "Hey guys, Robin said you wanted to-" She cut off as see scanned over the room. Both girls held their breath and waited for the explosion.

It never came.

Yang nodded. "Yeah, ok." She said as she shifted past Ruby and took a seat on the bunk. "Do we know when Blake is coming?"

"Should be any-"

The Raven haired girl cut them off as she pulled back the flap. "Weiss, Chief said-" She paused, taking a step back as she took in the room, looking ready to flee.

"Blake-" Ruby started gently.

"-We have tuna." Her sister cut in, taking a bite of her sandwich.

The tension drained from the girl. She chuckled. "Who am I to turn down that offer?"

* * *

 **Meet the Beowolves**

 **Stevens Rogers - A Father's Son**

His memories of the day were mixed. Some things he could recall with crystal clear clarity, and some were a haze.

He did remember men folding the flag. Their perfectly pressed uniforms soaking in the rain as it poured from the heavens. He remembered how they had painstakingly ensured every crease and fold was immaculate.

He struggled to remember the words the one that handed his mother the flag spoke. Only 'thank you' and 'service' stood out.

He remembered his mother's tears.

But if you were ask him what stood out the most, he would say that it was the awe that traveled through the gathering as the man arrived. He was tall, he remembered. His features sharp and his presence commanding.

He would not, could not, forget the tired look in the man's eyes as he approached the casket. He remembered the water flowing off the metal hand the man placed on the lid, could remember his mouth moving as he spoke to his father.

He remembered the pained look on the man's face as her spoke to his mother. He couldn't recall the words, but he could remember the sound his mother's hand made as it slapped the man, tears flowing down her face.

He remembered the man nodding, whispering something. He was almost certain it was 'I'm sorry,' then walking towards another procession.

Someone later told him that the General had not ate or slept that day, as he traveled from family to family.

* * *

"Uncle Buck, tell me about the dad and the Ironmen again!" He cried excitedly.

His uncle groaned, looking around the room. "Your ma's gonna kill me if she catches me Stevie."

"Pleeeaaassse." He begged.

His uncle caved, just like he always did. "Ok, ok, just pack in the puppy-dog eyes." He sat back and smiled. "Well, it all started when we got word that a bullhead assault unit had defected out in 'Anthem.' Apparently, there was a protest out that way, and the council sent the unit out there to put down. That was their way, the old council, every problem was a nail, and we were the hammer. Except this time, the officer they sent out there decided that he'd had enough, and sided with the workers. James Ironwood they said his name was, a Hunter and his team. He had been traveling around to village after village and outpost after outpost, turning unit after unit."

He looked seriously at Stevens. "The council didn't like that at all, so they sent us to intercept them at 'Victory,' stem the rebellion. And boy, we were armed to the teeth, and ready for a fight. Your dad though, he was smarter than me. Even before they got there, he was saying, 'I think we're on the wrong side of this Buck,' and I'd just shake my head at him." He nodded to the boy. "You father was a man of ideals son."

"What happened next?" Stevens asked excitedly.

The older man chuckled. "We confronted them. Stood them down right there on the edge of the town. Boy were they a motley crew. We expected hardened vets from the intel reports. What showed up? They were farmers, they were soldiers, they were miners, they were police officers, they were shop keeps, they were faunus, they were human." He sighed. "They were Atlas son." He shrugged. "We didn't know what to do, but then he strolls out in the open, James Ironwood, not a care in the world, just walking towards us. Any sniper, hell any rifleman could have got 'em. Poor Lt Markus, he didn't know what to do either, so he just starts walking out in the open too, to meet him." He grinned. "There they are, just standing in-between two groups armed to the teeth, ready for war, and you know what Ironwood says?"

"What?" Stevens whispers.

"He ask Lt Markus for a smoke, says 'this shit is exhausting isn't it?' And to his credit, ole Markus whips out two cigars, and they smoke 'em right there in the middle of what's supposed to be a battlefield. Fucking legends" He smiled. "We all became Ironmen that day."

"Wow." Stevens said, his eyes wide.

"We spent most of the next six months traveling from town to town, recruiting more and more for the cause. Everyone was done with the old council, with the fear, with the lies. We were ready for hope. And Ironwood? He was a beacon."

"How'd he get the metal arm?" The boy asked.

"Not sure about the details, but the council eventually called for a peace talk, trying to end the war before it escalated any further is what they said." He grimaced. "It was a trap. The held the meeting in the same building that the treaty from the Great War was signed in. The General went there with his team...the blast from the bomb got two of them, and laid ole Jimmy up real good." He signed tiredly. "We thought it was over, his partner tried to take over, but it wasn't the same. The General WAS the revolution."

He smiled at the shocked expression on the youth's face.

"But then came along a young doctor. Polendina I think, came along and said he could help." He held up a finger. "Now, none of us really believed it, we were all thinking about if we were going to be jailed or executed, but then a miracle happened. The General walks out of the infirmary, goes straight to the hangar, slams his new metal hand on a beam to get our attention, and says, 'I'm going to the capital to have those peace talks, load up if you want in.'"

"The assault on the capital." Stevens breathed.

"I can't even begin to describe it boy, other than to say it was deafening. Gunfire, bullheads streaking over, bombs going off, screaming." He shook his head. "It was block by block, building by building, street by street. I'd never seen such dying. The only reason the country didn't fall was that Vale sent Hunters to help hold the Grimm while we sorted ourselves out." He looked to the boy. "But then we were there, the council building, glorious in all it's gleaming white and gold...we were determined to level the fucker. We hit that shit with everything we had, and the council elite, the White Guard, hit us back just as hard." He winced. "I can't tell you when me and your dad got seperated son, but when I saw him again, we was right there with the General, right there in the thick of it." He closed his eyes. "Right there." He whispered.

He placed a hand on the boy's head. "Something happened, I don't know what, but I know your dad went down. Time froze for me Stevie, I couldn't think, couldn't move. But the General? He moved. He worked his way straight to the Captain of the White Guard. When he fell, well, everyone froze." He sighed. "The General told what was left of the Guard it was over, and they believed him. There just wasn't any point in continuing."

"What did the General do then?"

His uncle smiled. "Walked right up to the council building's big steel doors, and just started pounding on them. He must of spent a full minute crashing that iron hand into the door while we all watched in stunned silence. Finally, some council flunky comes opens the door, let's him in, and 30 minutes later, the war is over." He shakes his head again. "Fucking legend."

Their heads both whip around as they hear the front door open.

"Stevie, I'm home, where are you?" His mother calls.

"In here mom!" He calls back.

She walks into the living room and narrows her eyes as she catches sight of uncle Buck.

"What have you two been up to?" She ask.

"Just stories!" Uncle Buck answered quickly.

"What kind of stories Stevie?"

His eyes dart between uncle Buck and his mother, suddenly aware of the tension in the room.

"What kind of stories Stevie?" She repeats.

He swallows. "Fucking legends mom."

His mother immediately starts in on his uncle, but he's not sure the man can hear it, on account of how hard he's laughing.

* * *

"Stevie, I can't do this." His uncle pleads.

"You don't have to do anything uncle Buck, I'm old enough to enlist."

"You'll break your mother's heart." He reasons.

"I have to do it Buck."

The older man sighs. "Can it be anything besides bullhead assault? I know your old man-"

"Uncle Buck." He cuts the man off with a smile and a hug. "You know it can't be anything but."

"I know." He whispers back.

* * *

He stands a new man, uniform freshly pressed and his wings gleaming upon his chest.

He is a man at the height of his powers.

He is a distinguished graduate of an elite schoolhouse. He is elite.

He is terrified.

She makes her way through the crowd, his uncle in tow. Nothing and no one can stop her.

She doesn't say a word at first, and they stand in silence. He tries not to flinch as her hand reaches out for his cheek.

"You look just like him." She whispers.

He leans into the touch.

"He-he." She's crying now. He hates it when she cries. "He'd be so proud of you Stevie." She swallows. "I'm so proud of you. I love you son."

He wraps her in a hug. "I know mom. I love you too."

* * *

He stands in front of him. Not the man, but part of the legend for sure.

Col Markus looks up from his package. "I understand that you requested to be transferred to the Beowolves."

He straightens. "That's correct sir."

"I know the commander of the Beringels. Watson is a good man. Not good enough for you son?"

"It's not that sir."

"Yeah, then what is it son?"

"Personal reasons sir, I had family in the Beowolves."

"We don't run a heritage foundation."

He begins to sweat. He needs this. "I know sir."

The dark-skinned man sighs. "Well, you certainly have an impressive package. Get ready, Chief Zane is going to put your ass to work."

"Thank you sir!" He wheels, desperate to be out of the room before the decision can be changed.

"Stevens!"

He freezes, then turns. "Sir?"

"Your old man would be proud."

* * *

Peter wrapped his arm around him from his place next to him at the bar. "Dude, I can't believe you got transferred, this is going to be great!"

He chuckled. "Hell yeah it is, bro! Breaking hearts and heads my man."

Peter snorted. "Mags will break MY head if I try to break any hearts, thank you."

Stevens shrugged. "More for me." He grinned as he locked in on a girl across the bar. "Like her."

"Uh, Steve, I don't-"

"That's the thing Pete, you think too much." He laughed as he got up and made his way over. Gods she was beautiful, white flowing hair, great body, cool and collected.

"Hey there pret-"

"Nope."

"Aww come on Snow Angel."

"Walk away."

"I-"

"Bye now."

Peter was all smiles as he made his way back. "Truly an honor to watch a master at work."

"Shut up Pete."

* * *

"This is going to be great!" Peter said excitedly.

Stevens shrugged. "What are you so excited about?"

"You get to meet the new Spec and the Chief, they're great!"

"You know I met Chief Zane already right? What makes the Spec so special?"

"She's a treat." Peter promised.

"Yeah how so?"

"Turn around and find out."

Stevens spun around to find Chief Zane and a woman in a Specialist uniform walking up.

A white haired woman.

With a great body….who seemed cool and collected.

"Sonuvabitch." He whispered. "Chief! M-ma'am!" He stuttered as they reached him.

Winter's eyes narrowed as she recognized him. "Chief?"

"Ma'am?"

"Who is this man?"

"That's Stevens ma'am, our newest."

She turned. "Do me a favor? See that he's placed on designated driver duty for the next two months, alcohol can make the new guys make poor decisions." she looked back at him. "That ok with you Stevens?" She asked dangerously.

He was sure he said something, but it would have been hard to make out with how hard Peter was laughing behind him.

* * *

It was the first time he'd been home in months.

It came with all that entailed. Meeting all his mom's friends, home cooked meals, constant questions about his love life and when grandkids were coming.

It was perfect, and for a few days, it lasted.

He knew something was wrong when she snapped off the tv when he entered the room.

"Mom?"

She shook her head and hid the remote behind her back, like if she could stop him from watching, it would stop whatever it was.

He slowly walked over and flicked on the tv.

 _"Thousands assumed dead after the terrorist attack on Beacon. All rescue efforts have been hindered by total communications blackout with Vale."_

He turned and saw she was crying. He hated it when she cried.

"Mom...I gotta go. I love you."

* * *

 **OMAKE**

 **Therapy Sessions**

 **Courtesy of Cr00cy**

"I still don't understand why we're out here." Jaune said.

"Cause you need training." Qrow answered.

Jaune raised an eyebrow. "At ten in the evening? That's when I need training?"

"I'm trying to help you kid." He reasoned.

"You're trying to get away while RWBY sorts itself out." The knight accused.

The man groaned. "Kid, they are killing me. I need a break, work with me."

"And you came to me? Holy shit, I'm your emotional rock aren't I? I can't belie-"

"Yes kid, beating on you has become something of a stress relief for me."

"I'm honestly touched."

Qrow ignored him.

"Ok, kid. Now I'm, going to show you some basic three-hour combos. Then you will practice them for next hour or so."

Jaune shook his head..

"Already drunk, old man? I thought you were supposed..."

"Eleven."

Before Jaune could even consider asking what Qrow meant, the older Hunter's blade sailed towards the right side of his neck. He managed to clumsily parry it.

"Four."

Before he could recover, the next attack sailed towards his left hip. He managed to backstep in time to dodge it, and countered with a stab towards Qrow's chest.

"Eight"

The older Hunter's sword spun, knocking Crocea Mors aside and impacting Jaune's right hip. He staggered, and jumped back to avoid the next attack.

It didn't come. Qrow stood there, his sword held lazily in one hand, and a smirk on his face.

"I told you, kid it would be a three-hour combo."

Jaune opened his mouth to ask, but was interrupted.

"Listen carefully kid, because I'm not gonna repeat myself. There are total of twelve most common directions of attack. Since this is the same as the number of hours on a clock, some folks started to call them just that: 'hours.' It goes like this."

Qrow raised his sword, and made a slow, diagonal downward slash towards the left side of Jaune's neck.

"This is One o'clock"

The next was a diagonal swing towards his shoulder

"Two o'clock"

A horizontal slash at his chest.

"Three"

A diagonal upward slash at his hip.

"Four"

A diagonal downward slash at his thigh.

"Five"

A stab towards his chest.

"Six"

An overhead slash at his head.

"Twelve"

Qrow put his sword down.

"Seven to eleven are the same as five to one, but from the other side. The three hour combo, is a simple set of attacks made to break the enemy's stance. You can start either low, or high - whichever you prefer. It's to draw your opponent's guard into one side. Next you attack the opposite side of the clock. It's to mess with their stance. The third attack is to finish."

He took a swig from his flask and winced. Ren's herbal tea made was apparently poor substitute for his booze.

"Of course this is in an ideal situation. No one will just wait and let you do this. But practicing the same set of moves over, and over will give you something to rely on when you're pushed back."

Qrow put away his flask, and raised his sword.

"Now come Angst-knight. Lets see how many hours you can fit in the next hour."

Jaune smirked. "Alright, but I've got an appointment with Yang in the laundry tent at eleven, so let's wrap this up."

Qrow sighed. "Gods help me, but I missed this somehow."

He swung.

* * *

 **Fight Nerd Returns!: Ok, so confession time - I watch fight scenes in RWBY while writing these chapters to analyze fight styles and tendencies. That's right, I watch tape on fictional characters...such is my love for you all (It's almost always Qrow, Yang, or Winter. Jaune is...not great to watch). Doing so this week, I stumbled across something really cool and something really frustrating. Let's start off with the cool, as it'll be the majority of what we'll talk about.**

 **A tip of the hat to RT for making Qrow switch sword hands while he fights. It's super subtle, and no one ever talks about it, but it's a high-skill/crafty vet move that fits the character perfectly. So that's what we'll talk about, switching from orthodox (right hand and right leg back) to southpaw (left hand and left leg back) in a fight. Sounds cool right? It's also a great way to get blasted. Most people learning striking switch stances accidentally, becoming overeager and getting mixed up as they try to hit their opponent. Now they're standing in a stance that they haven't practiced, and even if they had, their opponent is almost certainly more comfortable in their "normal" stance (dominate hand in back). This is why I wouldn't recommend stance switching to most people, they just aren't ready for it/understand how to effectively use it. Stick to your stance, become deadly and effective there. However, there are cases where it works. If you're good enough, you can switch stances in limited burst, giving your opponent a different look/different threat, and then moving back to your regular stance before they can adjust. You see this most commonly when someone in pursuing another fighter. They'll switch stances moving forward, covering more distance than they'd normally be able to, surprising their opponent, then attack from those new angles they just created against a foe that's already on the defence. It's some high-level stuff that's cool to watch. T.J. Dillashaw in the UFC might be the best at it that I've seen. Go watch his fights, they're great. Bravo RT.**

 **Now, a wag of my finger. Yang and Tai spar in Vol. 4, and Cross. Their. Fucking. Feet. This is perhaps the biggest beginner's mistake besides not keeping your hands up. Why? Go ahead and cross your rear leg behind your other. Now try to move forward or backwards. Oh, what's that? You're an immobile and unbalanced target? Imagine that. You're feet should remain about shoulder width apart on a 45-degree angle in you stance and should remain that way as you move. That's your stance, your stance will keep you safe.**

 **Toast to Writers: A few shoutouts. FanficFridays, for writing militarized RWBY both before and probably better than me, mediaocrity4 for writing your ass off creating new and different RWBY stories beyond canon, Frank Verderosa for the incredible FF7 "internet novels" back when that was the only thing to call something that extensive - a true OG of fanfiction, and of course to Coeur and College Fool for their ridiculous library. College, I know that not everyone is a fan of your style, but I'd make an argument for "Breaking Through the Bottom of the Bottle" being the best written thing on the site. It's both about nothing and everything...masterful. Demetrion and Cr00cy, it goes without saying that you guys are on the list.**

 **Finally, let me close us with a note about mental health. We've talked about it before, but it's been highlighted for me again in a few conversations I've had over the past week and another high-profile suicide. Folks, if you're feeling like you can't do it, just remember - you're not weak, you're tired. Life is undefeated in breaking people down over the stretch. You need someone or something in your corner to help build you back up. Find who or what that is. At the very least, seek out someone to talk with, there are plenty of programs that are happy to help. As always, the PM button is right there. Keep fighting folks.**


	8. Stepping Up

**Chapter 7**

 **Stepping Up**

 **Cr00cy continues to save me from myself**

 **Solid chance I'll miss next week as I'll be roving around for work. Hopefully that's not the case, but we'll see.**

* * *

 **W.S. Quote Book Says:** All men make mistakes, but only wise men learn from their mistakes. - Winston Churchill

 **W.S. Playlist Says:** If you didn't make mistakes, you wouldn't get far - Mac Miller, She Said

* * *

Jaune's head popped off the pillow in a panic, scanning the dark tent for incoming assaults. He carefully pulled up his scroll and checked the time.

It hit 06:00 as he flashed the screen on, and the alarm sounded.

He peeked his head over the side and noticed a distinct lack of Specialist on the bottom bunk.

 _Today could be a goo-. Nope! Already made that mistake once!_

He quickly swung down from his bunk and pulled his clothes on, poking his head outside the tent to check for roving Noras.

Nothing. The coast was clear.

The knight hesitantly stepped outside, and scanned again for any ambushes planned for his morning. It felt strangely...off, not to have been attacked by this point in the morning.

 _Don't look a gift horse in the mouth._ He reminded himself.

He silently celebrated until a thought hit him. He had no idea what they were supposed to be doing today.

 _Dammit._

He sighed and started to make his way over to Ren and Nora's tent. If he was going to be miserable, he was going to be damned if he was going to do it alone.

"Hey Spec!"

 _Or not._

"Hey Chief." The blond glumly greeted as he turned to meet the man.

The dog faunus gave give a small wave as he approached. "Wanted to let you know-"

"Winter needs to see me?" Jaune guessed.

The man blinked, then smiled. "Yep."

"Gym?"

He chuckled. "Right again."

Jaune sighed. "Guesstimate on how bad it's going to be?"

"I think you're good this time. I didn't get a 'Imma punk a Spec' vibe off her."

Jaune smirked. "Small miracles. She want the whole crew?"

Chief shook his head. "Nah, just asked after you. Guess you're special like that."

"You saying that I put the 'special,' in Specialist?" Jaune asked.

Chief snorted. "Who told you that one?"

"Stevens, about the third time I flagged him with his own pistol yesterday."

"That'd do it."

Jaune ran a hand through his hair. "She say if I can grab chow first?"

Chief shrugged. "I mean, you can do whatever you want. What's her reaction going to be? Well…"

The blond waved him off. "Yeah, yeah. I'm heading that way." He said as her turned and started walking towards the gym.

"Tell mom we're low on energy drinks, see if she can grab some from the Specs section." Zane called after him.

"I thought she was dad?" Jaune called back over his shoulder.

"That's just what I let her think."

"Kay, I'll tell her you said so."

"Ha! Spec? Don't you dare Spec!"

* * *

Jaune pulled the door to the gym open, making his way through the familiar path of weights and cardio equipment as he headed towards the mats in the back, high-fiving Sam and Ricky on his way.

He stopped just short of the edge of the mat as he caught sight of her.

She was dressed casually, gym shorts and a 'Wolf Pack,' t-shirt with the unit mascot emblazoned on it. Her head bobbing up and down to whatever tune was blaring through her large white headphones.

Then she started to move.

Moving seemed like such a weak word for it, he corrected himself. She flowed. Her blade flicked through the air, cutting into invisible foe after invisible foe, her feet remaining perfectly spaced as she dipped and dodged, block and parried, shuffled and slipped behind. Everything was done with an excruciating attention to detail, not a hair out of place as she trust forward. The parry and side-step that followed was something out of an instruction manual. Everything was just so…perfect.

 _I'm starting to understand why Weiss has a complex._

He wasn't sure how long he stood rooted to the spot, mesmerized by the display, trying to understand how he was going to close that kind of gap.

"What are we watching?" A voice whispered in his ear.

He spun in a panic, yelping in surprise as he tripped over his feet and stumbled to the ground. He looked up to find his girlfriend grinning evilly at him.

"Gods Yang! You scared me!"

"Aww, don't be like that. It's ok if you look every now and again. She's an eight for sure." She winked at him.

"It's not like that!" He defended.

"He's right. I'm at least a nine." He heard a voice call behind him.

He looked over his shoulder at Winter. "Hey boss."

She sighed. "Can you do nothing quietly?"

"Nope." Yang answered for him with a grin.

Winter shook her head. "I'd tell you two to take your hormones elsewhere, but I actually need to talk to your lesser half."

Yang hummed. "I was actually planning on training with Ladykiller."

 _We were?_

"I promise to return him in one piece, I just need to talk about today's training event."

"I can wait."

Winter sighed. "Specialist Branwen, I believe Qrow has a similar briefing to give you."

"It's Xiao Long actually." Yang shot back.

"Perhaps there's hope for you yet then. Listen, the faster you finish your brief, the faster you can collect Jaune."

Yang stared at the older woman for a moment before shrugging. "Ok, have fun." She shot Jaune a smile. "You owe me a date Ladykiller. I want to work with your Semblance some more."

He smiled back. "Wouldn't miss it Bright-Eyes."

"What is your Semblance anyway?" Winter asked.

He looked up. "Oh, it's uh...like an Aura boost."

Winter raised an eyebrow. "Aura boost?"

"Yeah, it's-" He hummed. "Here, I'll show you."

He reached out and grasped the Specialist wrist, closing his eyes as he established the link. He felt a strange rush of emotions and characteristics come through the void.

He felt surprise. Discipline. Care. Anger. Pride. He felt the color white, and he really wasn't sure how that last one worked.

He opened his eyes to see the woman in front of him eyes widen.

"Oh." She whispered.

A hand rested on his and squeezed.

"Hey, hey, I thought we were debriefing here guys." Yang hurried out as she pulled on his hand.

Winter blinked and shook her head. "Right. You're right. I'll send him along when I'm done. That was...a thing."

"Yeah." Yang hedged. "Jaune, see you at breakfast?"

He squeezed her hand. "Yep."

She nodded and headed for the exit of the gym.

They watched her retreating form. "She does not like me." Winter stated.

He turned. "What? No!"

She arched an eyebrow. "You can't be serious."

"Yang likes everybody." He argued.

She cocked her head at him. "You know, it really is remarkable that you've figured out breathing."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She sighed. "Don't worry about it, let's just finish this quickly so I don't have to deal with it."

He shrugged. "Sure, what did you want to talk about?"

She eyed him. "I'm being told that we're standing up soon. Very soon. Which is why you're going to be running the team through the course today."

"Sure, I'll tell Ren and Nora-"

"The ENTIRE team Jaune."

His eyes widened. "Oh."

She grabbed his shoulder. "You'll do fine, but I need you to focus out there. This will be a big test for the unit."

He nodded nervously. "Yeah."

"Just remember, if something goes wrong, keep moving. We'll hash it out in the debrief, but you can't stop."

He nodded again. "Ok, I can do that."

She slapped him on the shoulder and smiled. "I know you can."

He chuckled. "Thanks coach. That it? What time?"

"After breakfast, you've got time."

 _Good, I can catch Yang._

"Cool, I'll grab Ren and Nora." He turned to leave and a hand caught him.

"One second Arc. Let's talk about this Semblance of yours. I have some ideas."

 _Dammit._

* * *

Yang looked to Blake, who gave the blonde a small nod.

They moved.

Gold exploded across the training room floor, racing towards the grey Hunter, Black streaking a hand behind.

Gauntlets met blade as Yang's right hand rocketed toward Qrow and smashed into the flat of his sword. Without missing a beat, she stepped to the side, aiming hook for his liver. His elbow collapsed down, absorbing the blow on bone and Aura, trapping his sword arm. His eyes widened as the black streak closed, shooting for the gap left by the blonde. He tried to pull away, to retreat and create space again, but his foot was caught.

Yang stood on his lead foot. She winked at him.

 _Well fuc-_

Blake slammed into him. He managed to catch Gambol Shroud on his left arm, but was less fortunate with the knee that crashed into his chin.

He yanked his foot back, causing Yang's leg to shoot out from under her. He fired into the off balance girl, knocking her to the floor.

And then Blake was on him again. They were a whirlwind of blades and limbs, the girl in black slowly giving way as he regained his footing.

"Yang! Hot-foot!" He heard Ruby call from the side of the mat.

 _Hot-foot?_

A Dust round slammed into the side of his foot, making he stumble as he caught himself before the another whistled by his calf. Yang was firing at him from her place on the floor, aiming to knock his feet out from under him.

He turned to return fire, and felt something wrap around his wrist. Blake ripped on the ribbon of Gambol Shroud, trying to throw the older Hunter over her shoulder.

If her foot hadn't slipped, it might have worked.

Qrow took advantage of the girl's stumble, grabbing her by the neck and throwing her to the ground in the path of Yang's fire, causing the girl to cut off with a curse. He drove his knee downward, slamming it into Blake's chest, driving the air from her lungs as he pressed his blade against her throat.

He raised an eyebrow as he locked eyes with Yang. "Good enough for you, Firecracker?"

The blonde sighed as she found her feet and started to brush herself off. "I guess. We would have had you if you didn't use your Semblance."

"My what?" He asked as he rose and helped Blake to her feet.

Yang's eyes narrowed. "Don't play dumb, you used it."

"Twice." Blake confirmed.

He shook his head and shrugged. "You can't prove anything."

Yang opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by a red blur slamming into her.

"That. Was. Amazing!" Ruby cried as she squeezed her sister. "You guys had him!"

"Hey, I WON." Qrow argued.

"True." Weiss conceded as she approached. "But you also cheated."

He scoffed. "It's MY Semblance!"

Blake smirked. "So you're admitting to using it?"

He groaned and ran a hand down his face. "Do you want to know how you did or not?"

"He's grumpy cause he misses Jaune." Ruby stage whispered to Yang.

"He's not the only one. I think Yang's still a little sore her knight missed breakfast." Blake teased.

Yang glared playfully at her partner. "Watch it kitty kat, you're still on a short leash."

"Kinky."

Qrow turned to Weiss. "Are you really my last bastion of sanity?"

She shrugged. "Just let it go altogether, it's easier that way."

"So how'd we do?' Ruby chirped excitedly.

He smirked. "Better than yesterday."

"Uncle Qrrroooowwwww." She whined.

"Alright, alright, sheesh." He smiled at her antics. "You done good kids."

Yang elbowed Blake. "Do you feel that? The pride?"

"Yeah, it's truly overwhelming." Her partner drawled.

Weiss shrugged. "It's better than what I'm used to."

"Wow, way to take it dark Weiss-cream."

"You asked."

Qrow coughed. "Alright, you're a Hunter team again. Congratulations on being back to where you're supposed to be."

Weiss held out a hand. "See? That feels normal."

Yang nodded. "It is pretty standard Qrow."

"Anyway." He cut in. "We've got to get you working with the teams. And fast." He looked to the reaper. "Short-Stack, you remember your notes from you last run?"

She nodded. "Yep."

"Good, cause you'll be heading this one up."

She pumped her fist. "We'll be ready."

He grinned. "That's what I like to hear."

* * *

Jaune looked to his team. All of his team.

 _Say something inspirational._

"Ok, so I know I'm new at this, but we're a team now, and we're here for you guys. See anything that you think we need to to handle, call it out."

Stevens smiled at him. "Bro, we're all about it."

Peter, Sam, Ricky, and Rob nodded and shot him thumbs up.

"Let's go kill fake bad guys." The large man laughed.

Jaune smiled and deployed his shield. "Sounds like a plan. Nora, you're in back."

She saluted. "Roger that F.L."

 _Who's teaching her these things?_

"Ren, you're following me and Stevens."

The boy in green nodded. "Right behind you."

"Alright people, let's mosey." He winced as the words came out of his mouth, and thanked the gods for the starting horn sounding, allowing him to spin and rush into the compound.

"What the fuck did he just say?" He heard Sam ask behind him.

He raised his shield and led his team off to right, hugging close to the buildings on the side as they quickly shuffled their way towards their objective.

 _The same two-story house we got our ass kicked in last time._

The Beowolves rifles raked over windows and doorways as they moved, heads constantly moving, scanning for threats.

Rob quietly coached Nora in the rear, ensuring their backs were covered. They reached the building without incident, and Jaune's eyes flicked up to the second story as they formed a stack alongside the front door.

He tapped Stevens, who gave him a quick pat on the back as reassurance before passing the signal back. When it made its way back to Jaune, he turned and nodded to Ren, who stepped out of the formation and crouched. Jaune raised his shield and braced.

Ren leapt onto the sheet of steel, lunging again as Jaune pushed him upwards, sending the ninja through the second story window. He immediately turned and pressed through the door, raising his shield in front of him as he moved. Steven grabbed the back of his armor and leveled his rifle over his shoulder firing as they swept right through the room together, Sam and Peter flowing left and Ricky and Rob covered the next room and stairwell, while Nora stood guard at the front door.

He heard gunshots from upstairs, and they moved again, flowing through the rest of the bottom floor, firing and slashing their way through targets before they climbed the stairs to meet up up with Ren, standing alone in a room full of 'dead' targets.

The horn sounded. Jaune dropped his shield and sighed.

 _Thank the gods._

Stevens slapped him on the back. "Bro! That was awesome!"

"WHAT?!" Jaune responded as he cupped his ear.

The large man tsked. "I told you bro, earplugs!"

Ren smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It was a good plan."

Jaune laughed. "I'd hold that till we hear Winter's debrief."

"Did we kill people?" Nora asked as she topped the stairs.

Sam laughed. "That we did ma'am."

"Nora or your highness." Nora corrected.

Sam blinked. "Noted."

Rob punched her in the arm. "Nice job, your highness!"

"Aww thanks!" Jaune chuckled as the return punch sent the man reeling.

Peter smiled as he poked one of the targets. "Nice groupings Bulletproof Monk."

Ren raised an eyebrow. "I thought I was a ninja?"

The faunus shrugged. "We're work shopping the names."

The intercom system in the building crackled to life. "If you're all done patting yourselves on the back, come back to the observation deck so we can cover how you actually did." Winter said.

"Yes ma'am." Replied a tired chorus.

Stevens nudged Jaune. "She's excited."

The blond raised an eyebrow. "How can you tell?"

Sam smirked. "She's letting us walk back instead of meeting us here. We'd be running it again for sure otherwise."

Jaune sighed. "Control freak."

"I'll tell her you said so." Peter offered.

"Let's not get crazy."

The intercom crackled again. "...the room is still miked."

"Goddammit."

* * *

"ALL HAIL THE CONQUERING HEROES!" Nora yelled up the stairs.

"So how'd we do?" Jaune asked the room as he crested the stairs.

"Great!" Ruby cried as she met him at the door. "You guys crushed it!"

Jaune fist bumped the girl and looked over her shoulder to Winter. "You hear that? We crushed it. Peer review."

The corners of the Specialist's mouth twitched upwards. "I've been _more_ ashamed."

Stevens slapped him on the back. "High praise Spec!"

Yang smirked as she sauntered over. "Not bad. Not as good as we're going to be. But you'll do.""

He raised an eyebrow. "Big words."

She scoffed. "What do you have that we don't."

"We have a ninja."

"Blake."

"We have a berserker."

She pointed a thumb to herself. "Yo."

He coughed. "And me."

She grinned. "I think we'll make do, thanks though."

He sighed and looked to Winter. "See? You two even sound alike."

Her eyes widened, and Jaune immediately felt the mood shift in the room.

Qrow snorted, burying his face in his hand as he broke into laughter.

Blake shook her head slowly at him over Yang's shoulder, while the blonde fixed him with an icy smile.

"Cool. Thanks Jaune." She pushed past him and called back to her team. "Let's go shoot things guys."

Ruby shrugged at him as she passed, as lost as he was. Weiss opened her mouth to speak, then shook her head, continuing on. Blake shot him an apologetic look.

"She'll work it out on the range." She offered.

"Work what out?" He asked.

Nora clapped him on the shoulder, giving him a look. "Jaune-Jaune, you-"

"No!" Qrow blurted out, raising a hand to stop the girl, all smiles. "Don't tell him! It's funnier this way."

He strolled over to Jaune, grinning all the while. He playfully slapped him on the cheek. "You really are Tai. All the way down to the dumb blond moments."

He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Stevens. "Hey look! A distraction! I mean-the Ursa are starting!"

The knight looked over to the display screen, and sure enough, the team of Huntresses and soldiers were lined up at the starting line, trading last minute instructions. Winter motion them over with a jerk of her head.

"Critique them." She instructed.

"What did I-"

"Later." She said. "Maybe when you're not so dumb."

"Good luck with that." Qrow quipped.

"You know what old man?" Jaune growled. "You can go fu-"

"Focus." Winter snapped. "Have your lover's quarrel on your own time."

The starting horn blared.

The Ursa took off, Yang in the lead, with Robin and Ruby following directly behind. Blake and Weiss brought up the rear, with the cat faunus scanning the buildings behind them as they moved.

"They put Yang up front, she'll be going through the door first." He observed.

She hummed. "What about Specialist Rose?"

He considered the reaper on the screen for a moment. "She's up there to relay orders, but she's going to have trouble when they get indoors with her weapon."

"And Belladonna and Weiss?"

He stroked his chin. "Weiss has glyphs, can summon ice walls, and Blake has shadow clones. I'm guessing the plan if they get hit from behind is to throw up cover and distractions."

She nodded. "At least one part of your brain works."

"Hey!"

RWBY reached the final approach to the house, and the broke from the file, quickly skirting up the side of an adjacent building, deploying Crescent Rose and scanning the area.

"It appears they've learned from their previous run as well." Ren commented.

Qrow grunted. "Of course. She's my niece."

Yang and Robin led the team to the side of the door, forming a stack as Yang pointed upwards silently. Blake and Weiss fell out, and with a quick glyph, the girl in black shot through the second story window.

"They're biting our style!" Nora complained.

"We thought of it first." Qrow growled.

"Suuuurrrrreeee." Nora drawled.

Ren smirked. "They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."

Qrow tsked.

Yang moved, bursting through the door, using a blast from her gauntlet to propel her to the center of the room. Both arms immediately came up, coughing out rounds as she as she swept to the right. Robin flowed through the door behind her, rifle up and ready as she swiftly moved from target to target, covering the left as the rest of the team flooded the room. They pressed as soon as the room was secured, taking room after room on the floor level.

They watched on a separate display as Blake's Gambol Shroud and Weiss' phantom hornets cut through the targets of the top level.

"Damn." Jaune said.

"Indeed. They're putting their abilities to good use." Winter agreed.

Qrow preened. "Well when you have a teacher like-"

Jaune snorted. "If you try to take credit for anymore than...let's say a quarter of this, I'm going to laugh in your face."

"I'd like to see that kid."

Winter sighed. "Could you not flirt with each other for just a moment?" She motioned to the monitors. "Look, they're done. Qrow, call it."

The grey Hunter grumbled, but keyed the intercom system. "Cease murder simulation. Good job, now get back here."

Jaune gestured to the man and looked to Winter. "See? Positive reinforcement. Is that so hard?"

"I said I've been more disappointed."

"That's a real backhanded compliment." He complained.

"Would you prefer an actual backhand?"

"Ah, connex counseling, my favorite!" A new voice cut in.

Winter wheeled around so fast she did almost catch Jaune with a backhand. "Col Markus!"

The man chuckled. "Stand down Winter. How'd they do Qrow?"

The Hunter stroked his chin. "They did alright Tom-" He ignored Winter stiffening next to him. "-No thanks to the rush you put on us."

The other man shrugged. "I don't control the Fang birdy. If I did, I assure you this would all be moving along much smoother." He smirked at his old friend. "Looks like you figured it out though."

"Yeah, yeah. You owe me a round after this Tom." He leaned back against the railing. "What brings you out here anyway? Can't imagine it's a social visit."

"Qrow…" Winter growled.

Markus just laughed. "I'm allowed to make it out to see the troops."

"On your old ass knees? Which one is real again?"

"Bastard." The Colonel shot back with a grin. "But you're not wrong. I've got an update for your teams."

Qrow snorted. "Already? Figures."

Winter pushed in front on him. "What's the word sir?"

"Don't worry about it yet Winter. It'll be easier if I break it all down for you at once. Take a seat and get comfortable."

* * *

With the two full teams gathered around him, Col Markus cleared his throat dramatically, clearly enjoying the attention.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for your attendance. I hope that training is-"

"Tom! Can we just skip to the point?" Qrow pleaded.

"You're no fun." The dark man grumbled. "Fine. We think we'll have our first Fang target in the next few days."

"How reliable is the source?" Winter asked.

Markus hummed. "Well, considering that he was paid enough cash for me to retire and we know where he lives, he better hope pretty goddamn reliable."

Qrow nodded. "Alright Tom, what's our move?"

"We're standing up alert operations. Bullheads gassed and ready, 24-hr shifts, one strike team per shift. We've got the alert area set up. You'll be eating and sleeping about 20 meters from the aircraft when you're on status."

"Goodie." Qrow deadpanned.

"Yeah? Well get excited, cause we're about to start hitting these bastards back."

"Bout time." Peter growled from his corner of the room.

Marked nodded to the man. "Pack up your things, do what you need to do, cause you're all on call from here on out. Winter?"

"Sir."

"Your team is up first."

"We're ready sir."

"Good. Get ready to earn your paychecks."

* * *

Jaune sighed as he followed Winter into one of the shoot houses. Tonight was not his night. Yang had been decidedly cold to him during dinner. When he looked to Ruby for help, she had shrugged and mouthed, 'flowers?'" Not only did he suspect Yang wasn't the flowers type of girl, Atlas turned out to have a noticeable lack of variety in flora. Before he'd had the chance to grab her and ask what was wrong, Winter had grabbed him, telling him they were training. Training, right before they went on alert and his life was limited to a small hardened building. In short, he was not in the mood. "Do we really have to do this tonight? I thought this was supposed to be our night off before we 'stepped off into the great adventure.'"

She snorted. "This is a night off. Besides, this is something you need to learn."

"Learn what?"

She gestured to the room around them, filled with furniture and targets. "When we start running ops, you're going to be fighting in tight quarters. This isn't like an arena. There are chairs, tables, walls, all of which can cost you your life or your opponent theirs. You need to be able to navigate the room, use your footwork and head to turn the fight to your advantage."

He raised an eyebrow. "And how are we going to do that?"

"I find that practical experience is best."

"What do you mean-"

Her blade slashed at the air in front of his face. He stumbled back, desperately trying to avoid the follow up strokes as he drew his sword.

She stepped forward aggressively. "Do you know where you're going?"

His foot caught against the couch, tripping him to the floor.

"That's not good." She offered helpfully as she slashed at his legs.

He stumbled to his feet, throwing a hasty slash at her that she parried away. She put a boot in his stomach for his trouble, knocking him into the table.

He quickly raised his blade to catch her next stroke. "I didn't realize you were so aggressive. Are you angling me towards the bedroom?"

"Adorable." She deadpanned as she slashed at him again, stepping in as she did so, forcing him back.

"You-" She jabbed him as their blades crossed, sending him back again. He felt his back touch the wall.

"Well that's trouble." She informed him.

He swung at her, trying to gain some space and get off the wall. Her blade parried his, and pinned it against the wall, her other catching his other wrist as she placed a leg between his.

"Well this is awkward-" Was about as far as he got before her elbow slammed into the side of his head.

"I'm sorry, you were saying?" She slammed her head into his nose.

"Fuck!"

She drove her knee into his stomach. "You gave up control of the battlefield, and here you are, pinned by a smaller opponent, because you gave me space and leverage." Her forearm pressed into his throat, choking him.

"That hurts." He wheezed.

She leaned into him. "You're a big strong knight. Do something about it."

He knocked his knee into hers, driving it sideways. His free hand pushed into her bicep, freeing his windpipe and turning them so that her back slammed into the wall. He pushed his weight against her, pinning her in place.

"Like that?" He snapped.

She calmly shrugged. "Better, but you're still not paying attention."

He glared at her. "From where I'm standing, it looks lik-"

He felt something tickle the gap in his armor. He looked down to find her short blade pressed against him.

"When did you even-"

"When I wanted to." She answered.

"Goddammit." He spat.

"Can we get off the wall now? People will talk."

He stepped back and sheathed Crocea Mors, mumbling an apology.

"Now before we start again, what did you learn?"

"Watch your footing, watch the wall." He answered tiredly.

"Why did you have to watch them?"

"Because they're tripping hazards." He drawled.

She sighed. "You had to watch them because you were moving backwards. Because I controlled the battlespace. When I move forward, I get to choose. You're a strong fighter Jaune, one with a big frame and Aura to spare. You need to-"

"Ok, I get it!"

She raised an eyebrow.

He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry. Look I'm just...distracted."

"By what?"

"It's dumb." He said, looking away.

She scowled in thought, then hummed in understanding. "The Branwen girl."

"Yang." He corrected automatically.

She smirked knowingly. "She's still angry."

"I don't know why!" He vented.

"It's cause you're not too bright." She observed.

"Thanks."

She sighed. "Jaune, do you remember when I told you that she didn't care for me earlier today?"

"She was just stressed." He defended.

"Was she though?" She questioned, before shaking her head. "Nevermind, besides the point. Imagine I'm right. Imagine that she doesn't like me. Now imagine that you're her, that your significant other chooses to directly compare you to this person that you've decided that you don't like. Perhaps suggesting that you are interchangeable with this person personality wise."

His jaw worked up and down in silence for a moment. "I didn't-"

"Mean it that way." She finished. "But it is what you said."

He winced and slumped. "Oh."

She rolled her eyes. "Can you be anymore of a kicked puppy?"

"What do I do?" He questioned, eyes pleading.

She sighed. "I wasn't looking forward to these talks when I thought they were going to be with Weiss. Whatever, we're not getting anything useful done here tonight while your head is other places." She stepped forward, eyes roving over him as she brushed dust off him and adjusted his armor.

"Turn around." She instructed.

"What are y-"

"Shut up and listen." She said, as she slapped the dust off his back. "Tomorrow is a big day. Alert means the death of most of your free time. Certainly your free time to roam the camp with your lady friend. You're going to go to the Ursa and talk with her. Go on a walk or something. Now, turn around."

He did. She stepped back and hummed, giving him a once over.

"I suppose it'll do. For whatever she sees in you anyway."

"Thanks coach." He deadpanned.

"You're welcome." She responded unironically. "Now go. Gods know I can't afford you to be a sad sack."

"So altruistic." He shot back, but still started to move towards the door.

"Be back by midnight." She called after him, freezing him in place.

"You can't be serious. What are you, my mom?"

She leaned against the wall and smirked. "We both know your mother never had to worry about you being out late."

His jaw swung open.

She huffed and waved at him. "Bye Jaune."

He shook his head and smiled. "Bye mom." He walked to the door and paused, turning back. "Winter...thanks."

"Want to thank me? Don't have a public indecency charge on my desk tomorrow morning."

"No promises." He called as he passed through the door.

She shook her head and smiled. "Damn kids."

* * *

Jaune fidgeted as he walked into the Ursa camp, feeling far more self-conscious than he thought he should be in a friendly base, as eyes followed him as he made his way over towards RWBY's tent.

 _Just keep walking. Eyes forward. You belong here._

"Hey Spec, what's up?"

 _Dammit._

He sighed and turned, finding a short brown-haired woman facing him. Robin, he remembered.

"Nothing big, just going to talk to my friends."

She tilted her head. "Yeah?"

"Yep."

She smirked. "Ok, let me walk you over there."

"It's really ok, I-"

She was already several steps ahead of him, making quick strides towards Yang's tent.

"Robin I can-"

She held up a finger as she reached the tent.

"Specialist Xiao Long, you have a gentleman caller."

He slumped in place.

"A what?" A confused voice called from inside, before Yang popped her head out and looked them over. "Oh." She articulated.

"Thanks Robin." He drawled.

She grinned back at him. "It's what I do." She proclaimed proudly, before turning on her heel and walking off into the night. Jaune glared at her retreating form till a cough brought him back to reality.

"Oh, hi." He blurted.

 _Smooth._

"Hi?" She half asked. "What are you doing over here Jaune?"

"I, uh-"

 _Oh Brothers, I didn't think this far!_

"I owe you a date, remember!" He latched onto the stray thought with a winning smile.

 _Thanks brain._

The corners of her mouth twitched upwards. "It's a little late. Don't you have something to do in the morning?"

"I like to live dangerously." He declared.

She did smile this time. "Since when?"

"Somewhere between the third and seventh concussion that your uncle gave me."

She snorted. "You're dumb."

 _Oh thank the Gods._

He smiled. "So I have been told. Come on, I've got a whole night planned out."

She raised an eyebrow. "You have a date night planned out...in a military camp?"

"Suuurrrreee." He assured her, turning to look out on the compound. "We're going to see that tent over there, then those tents, and then those way over there on the left. Can't forget those."

"Jaune Arc, let it never be said that you aren't a romantic." She laughed.

He grinned. "Are you coming, or do I have to break out the guitar?"

Her eyes widened in worry. "Nope! Let me grab my boots and we're off!"

He shook his head as she dipped back inside.

 _I'm not that bad...am I?_

He pushed the thought aside as Yang hopped out of the tent. "Lead on Ladykiller."

He made a dramatic sweep of his arm. "Right this way pretty lady." He said, as he started to walk them out of the Ursa camp, pointedly ignoring the thumbs up that Robin shot them.

He weaved through the tents, guiding them back towards the plot of land he had in mind on the perimeter near the Beowolves camp, vaguely wondering if taking her to his 'home turf' was a good or a bad thing.

 _Too late now._ He thought as they arrived, a grassy field looking out at a section of fence line facing out into one of the denser parts of the forest.

"Ta da!" He tried.

"Aww. It's a fence in the middle of nowhere. You shouldn't have." She teased.

"Only the best for you." He pointed to a patch of ground. "I was thinking of building a cabin right there. Settle down you know?"

"Do you know how to build a cabin?"

He waved her off. "You're getting bogged down in the details. I'll figure it out."

"Or freeze in the Atlas winter."

He hummed. "Well, I suppose that's possible, however unlikely."

She cracked a smiled. "You're dumb."

He sighed. "I know."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

He gestured to the ground and she nodded, taking a seat next to him. His mind raced, trying to find where to start.

"You know, it's actually kinda pretty out here." She observed, staring out into the wilderness, saving him from the silence.

"Yeah." He agreed, immediately feeling stupid.

 _Come on brain!_

"Yang." He started. "I, uh…"

She looked over at him, waiting.

 _Man I'm bad at this._ "I'm sorry." _All in now._ "I know I said something that upset you, and I want you to know that I didn't mean to. I know this is a weird apology, but…"

"It's ok." She said, looking back out into the woods. "It's dumb, I shouldn't have let it bother me."

"It's not." He quickly defended. "I didn't think. It's kinda a habit."

She smirked.

He pressed on. "I just don't want us to be mad at each other."

She sighed. "I'm not-I don't want to be mad either." She huffed. "I don't even know why it bothers me as much as it does."

He shrugged. "But it does. I'll watch it."

She dropped her head onto his shoulder.

"I'll try to grow thicker skin."

"And get along with my boss?"

"Meh."

"Fair enough."

He wrapped his arm around her waist, and they sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes. She shifted further into him, pulling herself into his chest.

"You're comfortable."

He smiled. "At least I'm doing something right."

She flicked him. "You're doing the confidence thing again."

He chuckled. "Sorry, pretty ladies make me nervous."

She hummed. "Have I told you you're cheesy?"

"That's rich coming from you."

She laughed. "What are you implying? That my jokes aren't funny?"

"I would never say that. Except to Ren, but he wouldn't tell anyone besides Nora….hmm, I may have found a flaw in my confidant."

She slapped at his knee, before leaning back into him, and letting the warm quiet take hold again.

"You know what I love and hate?" She asked after a while.

"Is it me?" He joked.

"Only sometimes." She shook her head. "It's that we don't talk about it."

He rested his head on hers. "Talk about what?"

She held up her right hand. "My beep boop parts. You just always tell me how pretty I am, and act like it's not a thing. On one hand-"

He swore he could _feel_ her smiling at her own pun.

"-it's nice to have someone on that's not constantly staring at it, and worried about saying the wrong thing. On the other...sometimes I worry that you're ignoring it on purpose, for my sake, and it bothers you."

"Are those you're beep boop parts? I've always thought they were a little more centered and round. The more you know, I guess." He grunted as she playfully elbowed him.

"Jaune! I'm serious."

"You're seriously ridiculous is what you are." He reached out and took her metal hand in his. "Can you feel that?"

"No." She said, disappointed.

"I can. Do you know what it feels like?"

"Some kind of alloy I'm told."

He nipped at her ear, causing a yelp. "It feels like you. From the minute you walked in to that house back in Mistral, you _owned_ that arm. It was a part of you. Something that you were proud of. Not an injury, but a battle scar."

"It wasn't always like that." She whispered.

"I know. But it is now. You want to know why I don't talk about it? Because there's nothing to talk about." He squeezed her. "The arm doesn't make you less beautiful Yang, it just makes you more you."

She turned into him, looking up into his eyes. "You really are cheesy." She put a finger to his lips as he made to speak, a grin spreading across her face. "But you're also sweet." Her lips replaced her finger, slowly pushing him to the ground. He responded in kind, his arms pulling her in into him as he leaned into the kiss, the intensity building till they broke apart for air.

She smirked as she straddled him. "You're still dumb."

He smiled back. "As long as I'm lucky."

She leaned down and whispered. "I think we can manage that."

He growled approval as his hand slipped down her back, reaching-

"Jaune-Jaune!"

His eyes widened. "No." He whispered.

"Are you out here? Is that you?" Nora called from across the field, making her way over to them.

"Fuck me." He groaned.

Yang laughed. "Well, not now." She looked over to the approaching Pinkete. "Hi Nora!"

Nora's eyes strained against the dark. "Hey Yang! Have you seen Fearless-Oh."

"Hi Nora." He grumbled from his place on the ground.

"Do you-do you want me to come back?" She asked hesitantly.

"Nope!" Yang cried cheerily, patting Jaune on the chest as she swung off him. "I think that moment is effectively dead, cremated, and had its ashes scattered in the ocean."

Nora winced. "Sorry."

Yang chuckled as she helped Jaune to his feet. "It's cool. I'm still calling it a decent date."

Jaune gave her a small smile. "You're going to text me back then?"

She hummed. "I'll probably keep you waiting for a few days before I do. You know, build up the anticipation."

"You're ridiculous."

"And you and both dumb AND unlucky."

He sighed. "For now."

"For now." She agreed, giving him a peck on the lips. "I'll see you later Ladykiller. Thanks for this." She peered over his shoulder. "Bye Nora!"

The girl in pink waved back weakly. "Bye Yang."

The blonde turned and started walking back towards the Ursa, with what, Jaune would argue, was more sway in her hips than strictly necessary.

"I'm REALLY sorry." Nora said from beside him.

He shot her a look. "What are you even doing here?"

"Looking for you! You were a no show back at camp! Me and Renny were worried."

He ran a hand through his hair. "Did you not think to ask Winter?"

Nora huffed. "She just kinda smirked and said to check with RWBY. Then they said you and Yang disappeared."

He raised an eyebrow. "And that didn't raise any warning flags?"

Nora scoffed. "I wasn't checking tents!" She waved a hand at the grass around them. "I didn't think about being careful in a darkened field."

"What was I supposed to do, leave a sock on the grass?"

"I don't know, maybe pick some place with walls next time!"

He laughed. "I didn't plan it! I'll just remember this for later, like when you and-"

She playfully shoved him. "She's right, you are dumb."

"And unlucky." He added.

She smirked. "Next time tell me, I'm a pretty good wingman."

He smiled back. "I'll keep it mind."

"You good to walk back to camp, or do we need to wait till the blood returns to the rest of your body?"

"Har Har, hardy fucking har."

* * *

 **Meet the Beowolves**

 **Ricky Tanner - Going to Med School...eventually**

Ricky sighed as tried running it with the bursar again. "Look, I was told that I had been awarded the 'Healing Hands,' scholarship to Atlas med. I've got the email right here." He pointed towards his scroll.

The woman behind the desk sighed and adjusted her glasses. "Sir I understand, but we awarded those scholarships based on last year's funding." She winced. "None of us really expected the budget cuts."

He ran a hand through his hair. "Is there a waiting list or something that I can be put on? Please, there's got to be something."

She glanced left and right. "Look, I'm not really supposed to show you this, but…" She swirled her monitor so that he could see. It was a full screen on names on the left, and 'DENIED' on the right. "I'm really sorry. If I could do something I would. You've got the grades, apply next year."

He sighed. "Will you have funding next year?"

She grimaced. "I hope."

He mumbled his thanks and started for the door, mind racing as he tried to think of a way to pay for school.

 _I only need the one kidney…_

"Excuse me. Young man." A voice roused him from his thoughts. He looked up to a greying man, a professor he'd guess from the sports coat he wore and the portfolio he carried.

"Oh, uh, hi professor…"

"Douglas." The man provided with a smile. "Couldn't help but overhear your conversation a minute ago."

Ricky rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, it's a...I'm not real sure what I'm going to do."

The professor hummed. "Have you considered enlisting with the military? They provide education benefits."

"Uh, no offense sir, but I kinda wanted to learn how to close up people's wounds, not open up new ones."

The man laughed. "That's what I said too, more years ago than I'll admit. You can be a medic son. Get some hands on experience. At the end of your tour, you'll have money to put towards school."

"I don't know…"

Douglas shrugged. "It's your choice of course, but if you're interested, I can call a friend and set-up a chance for you two to chat. What's the harm in looking into it?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah, ok."

* * *

"HE'S BLEEDING OUT TRAINEE, YOU GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!?" Sergeant Collins.

 _Fuck you Professor Douglas._

Ricky desperately tried to push more gauze into the wound, in an attempt to staunch the bleeding. The "victim" that was "bleeding out" was a dummy bleed and moaned that their class was training on.

 _Maybe more realistic than necessary._ He thought as a spurt of blood caught him in the face.

"DOESN"T LOOK GOOD TRAINEE!" The instructor yelled as he walked around Ricky, slamming two wooden blocks together periodically, causing him to flinch each time. "PUT SOME GODDAMN PRESSURE ON THE ARTERY! USE YOUR KNEE TRAINEE!"

His head whipped around to find another trainee. "Marty, I need another set of-"

*CLAP* "MARTY'S FUCKING DEAD! FIGURE IT OUT TRAINEE!"

 _Yeah, fuck you Professor Douglas._

* * *

He stood at attention in Sergeant Collins office, his fresh medic badge on his chest. "You wanted to see me Sergeant?"

The perpetually angry man looked him over from his desk, before grunting. "Yeah Tanner, I did. I want to talk to you about your unit assignment. I want you to put in for Bullhead Assault. You'll have my backing."

Ricky couldn't help but shift at that. "It's an honor Sergeant, but to be honest...I thought you-"

"-Hated you? I hate everyone equally Tanner. It's policy." He sighed and stood. "You're a quick study and you don't panic. Working with the teams will make you a better medic."

"I-thank you Sergeant."

The man grinned. "I'd hold off on that last bit."

* * *

Ricky stared out in terror at the open bay of the bullhead, when wind whipping at him as he looked down at the ground far FAR below.

He turned to scarred man beside him. "I still don't understand how this makes me a better medic!"

Rob laughed. "You gotta get to the people, dontcha?"

Ricky shook his head. "I'm not sure I can do this."

Rob nodded. "Ok."

Ricky turned to face the man. "Reall-OOMPH!" He grunted as the older man slammed into him, forcing them out of the aircraft.

Ricky screamed until he was gasping, desperately trying to keep the belly-down arch that he'd been taught for stability. He breathing slowly steadied as he got used to the sensation. It didn't feel like he wasn't falling anymore, so much as floating. The fear abated as his mind accepted the situation, leaving his panic back on the aircraft.

 _This is ALMOST fun._

That didn't stop him from flipping off Rob as the the man floated over to him, eliciting a laugh from the man. Rob motioned for him to pull, and they sent the rest of the flight gently guiding themselves into the dropzone. He landed with a tuck and a roll to the side, popping up and gathering his chute.

"Well?" Rob called as he made his way over. "What'd you think?"

"Fuck you is what I think! But also...let's go again."

* * *

Ricky slumped against the wall, more than exhausted from the days events.

He could still see the Grimm charging, feel the recoil of his rifle as he pulled the trigger, taste the panic at watching round and round enter the thick hides of the beast without slowing them, hear the screams as they reached the line.

He shivered. He was sure he'd care the last to his grave.

"Hey." Rob called as he kicked at his boots. "You alright?"

"I-uh...yeah…"

The older man knelt next to him, offering him a canteen. "You don't have to be alright. That was some serious shit Ricky."

He gladly took the offered water, guzzling it and wondering how he hadn't realized he was so thirsty.

"There you go." Rob encouraged. "Listen Ricky, I know that it doesn't feel like it, but what you did here? Huge."

"You're right, it doesn't feel that way."

Rob tsked and pointed to a bullhead quickly filling with critically wounded. "You see that little girl over there? She's gonna have a daddy cause you stopped the bleeding."

Ricky grimaced. "He's going to lose the arm."

"Then she'll have a one-armed dad, but goddammit, she'll have a dad."

"He's right." They both turned to see Chief Zane walking up.

"Chief." Ricky called as he made to stand, only to be gently pushed back down by the dog-faunus.

"You did good Ricky. It doesn't feel like it, but you did good."

It never did feel like it.

* * *

"Where the hell they sending you off to?" Rob asked.

Ricky sighed. "I've told you a dozen times, I'm going to the Vytal Festival."

"Like a ring doc?"

"Pssh, I wish. There's going to be thousands of people extra there man. They want extra medical personnel there to help deal with the crowds. The most exciting thing I'm going to be doing is handing out sunscreen and bandaids."

Rob whistled. "Hard at work."

"Yeah."

"Well, enjoy your easy week. We'll be back here doing the real work."

* * *

He was bleeding out. He was bleeding out so damn fast.

He pressed his hands into the young man's wound, desperate to staunch the steady flow of blood seeping from the boy's chest. He would give ANYTHING for something, anything to save this boy's life. But all he hand were his hands, his kit long since spent on the never ending wave of casualties that kept pouring in.

He knew that the bullheads were leaving, but if moved his hands...he wasn't going anywhere.

"Hey what's your name?" He called out to the boy, fading into shock.

"T-topaz."

"Paz, mind if I call you paz?"

The boy scowled. "I-it's topaz."

"Paz I need you to keep talking to me, ok? You're gonna be ok."

He didn't even hear the Beowolf as it stalked towards them, its wide maw opening to reveal row after row of razor sharp teeth.

"Paz? How old are you Paz? Talk me buddy!"

The Beowolf couched, powerful muscles coiling like a spring, before unleashing as it sailed towards Ricky.

He may not have heard the Beowolf, but he'd never forget the crack of the gun. Ricky wheeled around to see the lifeless body of the Beowolf crash to the ground, and his eyes trailed up to the source of the shot.

General Ironwood reached a hand down to him. "We've got to go son."

"Paz." He tried to explain.

The General winced as he looked down at the still boy. "He's gone son. I'm sorry."

* * *

Ricky shot up in bed, breaths coming in ragged gasps as he fought for control. He heard his scroll ring again, and realized what had woken him.

He groggily palmed the device and brought it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Ricky, it's Pete. You're about to get a call. You're going to say that you're feeling fit and ready."

"Pete, what the hell-"

His scroll buzzed again, and he saw Chief Zane's number. He flicked over to the new call.

"Hey Chief."

"Sorry for the late call Ricky, but it's important. I know you've been through a lot, so I'm going to ask you a question, and I need an honest answer."

"Roger that Chief."

"How you feeling?"

His eyes widened in understanding. Pete was right. He felt like shit, but for this?

"Fit and ready, Chief."

There was a moment of silence.

"Ok, start packing your shit, we're going after the Fang."

* * *

 **Omake**

 **Ms. Branwen**

She rolled her eyes. "Can you be anymore of a kicked puppy?"

"What do I do?" He questioned, eyes pleading.

She sighed. "Must I solve all of your problems for you?"

He nodded. "I think that would probably be best."

She put a hand on his shoulder. "Very well. Get your things, we're not doing this halfway."

"You know he doesn't get it, right?" Blake asked from her place on the bottom bunk.

She heard a sigh from the top bunk. "I know, I'll be over it tomorrow."

"I still don't understand what you see in him." Weiss said. "I mean, sure he's stronger, and more mature, and his eyes might be a deeper shade of blue, but it still makes no sense."

"Weiss, are you being Tsundere again? We talked about this. Also, one of those things isn't true."

Blake snorted.

"I'm doing no such thing! And Blake, I'll never forgive you for teaching her-" Her breath caught. _Something_ was about to happen. Something bad.

Ruby's head popped up. "Weiss? You ok?"

The ex-heiress shook her head violently. "We need to leave! It's going to be so much worse this time!"

"What's going to be-"

The first few strums on a guitar started to come through the tent flap.

Yang's eyes widened. "No!"

Ruby hesitantly reached a hand toward the tent flap, pulling it back to reveal Jaune and Winter standing in front of a full set of speakers pointing towards their tent.

"Noooooo!" Weiss whined.

"Where'd they get the speakers?" Ruby asked.

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Is Winter wearing a necklace that spells out 'Ice Queen' in diamonds?"

"This is not about to happen." Yang whispered in disbelief.

"It's her first board meeting all over again!" Weiss lamented.

Jaune picked up a mic and addressed the quickly forming crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for your attendance. I'm here to apologize the only way I know how. This is for you Yang!"

She winced. "But what if it wasn't?"

"Winter, kick us off!"

The Specialist raised her mic.

 _I'm sorry, Ms. Branwen, I am for real  
Never meant to make your daughter cry_

Weiss buried her face in her hands. "UUuuuuugghhhh!"

 _I apologize a trillion times  
I'm sorry, Ms. Branwen, I am for real_

Blake hummed along. "You know, she's actually not bad."

"Don't encourage her!" Weiss shouted.

 _Never meant to make your daughter cry  
I apologize a trillion times_

"The production values have certainly gone up since the last time he tried this." Ruby commented. "Oh look! It's Jaune's part!"

The blond picked up the mic and stared at Yang.

 _Me and your daughter got a special thing goin' on  
You say it's puppy love, we say it's full-grown_

Oscar looked over to Qrow in the crowd. "Are you recording this? Why?"

"I'm sending it to Raven."

"But the CCT…"

"I WILL find a way."

Jaune leaned towards Yang.

 _Hope that we feel this, feel this way forever_

The blonde brawler's mouth worked up and down silently, brain desperately trying to catch up.

"This shit is weird." Nora said, then scowled as she thought something over. "Renny would you-"

"Depends on how bad I fucked up."

She pumped an arm. "Yes."

 _King meets queen, then the puppy love thing  
Together dream 'bout that crib with the Goodyear swing_

Weiss winced. "Yang I am so sorr-"

The blonde stuck a finger in her face. "Shhh."

Jaune and Winter launched into the chorus together.

 _I'm sorry, Ms. Branwen, I am for real  
Never meant to make your daughter cry  
I apologize a trillion times_

Weiss sighed. "I just can't-YANG ARE YOU CRYING!?"

Blake winced. "Oh, that's not a pretty cry either."

"It's just-it's a song about a apology!" The blonde sobbed again. "But-but it's also kinda about telling my mom to go fuck herself!" Her voice caught. "It's perfect!" She cried as she tackled Jaune to the ground, eliciting cheers from the crowd.

Weiss shook her head. "You know what? Fuck everything about this place."

* * *

 **Voice in my head: You're too much of a coward to do a joke about a 20 year old Outkast song.**

 **Me: Hold. My. Beer.**

 **Note: I own no part of 'Ms. Jackson' by Outkast, but it's a classic. Yes I realize I'm using the song out of context.**

* * *

 **Fight Nerd: Ok my friends, let's talk fighting in an enclosed space. The easiest place to start is with a ring or cage. In boxing and mma, you'll see aggressive fighters shift their opponents into the corner or against the wall of the cage. The reason for this being two-fold. One - it limits your opponents escape routes. Two - it actually changes the dynamic of the fight. Pressing an opponent against a wall or cage limits your opponent's power and defense as they're forced to stand straight up. Force your head or forearm underneath their chin, and you can even control where they look. That's what moving forward is about, control. If we add objects to our arena, then we can further complicate things for the person moving backwards. I can see what I'm corralling you into if I'm moving forward, but you can't. Tripping and falling in a fight can be fatal.**

 **Bonus Round: Stepping on people's feet, like Yang does to Qrow in this chapter. This is something I like to do that is frowned upon in some circles. As a lefty, my right foot is often near my opponent's right foot. As I step in to attack, my foot will travel to where I believe my opponent's foot is (I'm not actually looking down). Their natural reaction is to pull away from an attack, but if I'm on their foot...well, it's usually good for a few free shots while they figure out what's going on.**

 **AN: I've seen a couple of concerns in the reviews that I'll try to address:**

 **Jaune's Semblance: Don't worry, more MUCH more coming as the story progresses. Cr00cy and I have discussed this a good bit, and believe that we have some interesting ideas on the subject. It'll be a pretty big part of the story.**

 **Red Shirts: *Sigh* I fully understand why people are scared to get burned on this. I'm not a fan of this term. Especially as the OCs are often combinations of people I know. They're not 'Red Shirts,' they're characters that show different facets of life in Remnant and its military and we're spending time talking about them instead of just having a cast of faceless soldiers (they literally have their faces covered in the show). Will everyone make it out? It's a warzone, no promises, and that goes for everyone.**

 **Dem Firearms: Will Jaune get a ranged option? Probably. I have a hard time seeing him not figuring out the advantages of one. What will it be? We'll see and it might not stay the same the whole time.**

 **Lastly, I love that you guys like Rap/Hardcore Winter as much as I do, and that she's been well received as a character in general. She's been a focus for me to try to get right in this story, and she doesn't have a ton of character to build off of. She's young, proud, talented, has a temper, and cares. I feel like I can work with that.**


	9. Cherry Popping

**We're back!**

 **Cr00cy is the editor of editors**

 **Chapter 8**

 **Cherry Popping**

* * *

 **W.S. Quote Book Says:** People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf. - George Orwell **  
**

**W.S. Playlist Says:** Shots hit the enemy, hearts turn brave  
Mount up, regulators in the whip  
Down the boulevard with the pistol grip - Kendrick Lamar, m.A.A.d City

* * *

Jaune slowly shoveled the Pumpkin Pete's into his mouth. He decided that it had never tasted worse.

Qrow cocked an eyebrow at him from across the table. "Damn kid, what's got you in a mood?"

He stared the man down for a moment. On one hand, Qrow's initial reaction to tales of his failed rendezvous with Yang might make him feel better, because they'd be _hilarious._ On the other hand, the reaction that immediately followed that might leave him unable to go out with the team.

Discretion proved to be the better part of valor.

"Just nervous about today I guess."

Qrow scoffed. "You've faced down worse, this will be small time. Unless you run into that Adam guy, then you're probably dead."

"Thanks coach."

"Anytime."

Oscar sat up excitedly from across the table. "I could help teach you! Or well, the professor can." He amended.

Jaune shot the boy a smile. "Thanks Oscar, but Winter's been helping me out. Rather violently too."

The boy sank back into his. "Oh, ok."

Qrow looked between the two. "You know, Winter doesn't have a few hundred years of swordsmanship to call on."

Jaune shook his head. "Nope, but she's determined to fix 'the old drunk's mistakes,' and I don't think 'I've been training with a young farm boy' is going to sway her. I can only take so many beatings in a day."

"Ok, first of all, I'm not a drunk...anymore. Second, taking beatings is what you're good for."

Jaune rolled his eyes. "I'm aware it's the only way you can show affection. That and taking young boys out in the woods." He pointed a fork at Oscar. "You tell me if this creeper tries to take you anywhere Oscar, we'll find an adult."

"I am an adult."

"Debatable." The two boys answered in unison, earning a smile from the other.

* * *

The young knight slowly started making his way from the mess hall towards the Alert facility, where he knew the rest of the team would be waiting for him.

 _Where we'll be stuck for the next few weeks at least._ He thought glumly.

"Hey kid." A voice roused him from his thoughts. He turned to see Qrow jogging up behind him. "Wait up for a minute."

He stopped and waited for the older Hunter to catch up.

"What's up old man?"

"Wanted to talk to you before you went on lockdown." His eyes scanned the area around them to ensure it was clear. "I've got a favor to ask."

Jaune raised an eyebrow. "Is it drugs? Cause you look shady as all get out right now."

Qrow snorted. "No brat. It's intelligence. You see anything...interesting out there when your team goes out, and I'd like to hear about it."

Jaune's gaze darkened. "Oh, you meant that Ozpin had a favor to ask."

The grey Hunter sighed. "Yeah."

"So, he wants me to spy on my own team?"

"Whoa whoa whoa kid." Qrow placated. "Nobody is saying that. All he-I'm asking is that you keep an eye out for anything that scream Salem that the military types might miss, and report it back."

"He doesn't trust Ironwood." The blond observed flatly.

"Oz doesn't trust anybody right now."

"Funny, I kinda feel the same way about him."

Qrow rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know, you're not super subtle."

Jaune was taken aback by that. "W-what do you mean?"

Qrow leaned in. "You don't think I've noticed you avoiding him? How you NEVER talk to Oz, only Oscar? You want to pull the wool over someone's eyes kid? You need to be their best friend, not the guy holding the 'I'm going to be a problem' sign."

The blond swallowed. "Yeah, I get that, but...I'm not good enough to keep that up."

"Yeah?"

"Qrow he's got countless centuries of reading people. How many minutes into a conversation do you think we have to be for him to figure me out?"

Qrow took a swig of his flask and winced. "I didn't pick this fight for you kid."

Jaune sighed. "I know, but it's not one I can let go. I'm just not ready for it yet."

"I'll say. That why you talk to Oscar?"

He shook his head. "No, that's different." He ran a hand through his hair. "If I keep Oscar talking, keep him engaged...maybe...maybe he'll fade slower." His gaze shot up. "Is that true?"

Qrow sighed. "Honestly? I don't know, this is the first one I've ever seen. I suppose it could be true though."

"I want to figure out a way to help him Qrow." The boy pleaded.

"Look kid I-" He winced. "I hate myself for using the term 'greater good,' but the world NEEDS Oz right now. Oscar? It does, but not in the same way."

"So that makes it ok?" The knight growled.

"It makes it the truth." He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Kid, I don't really like it either, but unless you've got another way…"

"I'll find a way." Jaune declared.

Qrow gave him a small smile. "I hope you do, truly, but until then, we've got to play the hand we're dealt. I need that info kid."

Jaune stared at the ground, lost in thought, finally glancing up. "Let's trade."

Qrow raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Jaune straightened. "You want me to give you info behind my team's back? I want the same. I give you info from missions, I get to ask questions about Ozpin. Questions you'll answer. That's my proposal."

The Hunter shook his head. "The fucking balls on you kid. What makes you think I won't rat you out?"

"You won't." The knight stated.

"Awful confident today."

Jaune smiled at him. "We're friends, or close enough. Besides, if Ruby and Yang found out, you'd have hell to pay."

"Ain't that the truth." He grumbled. "And if I refuse to tell you anything?"

The blond shrugged. "Then I stop sharing info."

"Oz might have something to say about that."

"A fourteen year old boy making a seen in a military camp owned by the guy he's working around-"

"Parallel with." Qrow corrected.

Jaune snorted. "Sure. Either way, I can't see that playing out well for him."

Qrow considered him for a moment. "You're insane, you know that kid?"

The boy grinned. "So I've been told."

The grey man shrugged and held out a hand. "Alright kid, you got yourself a deal, for all the good it'll do you."

Jaune accepted the handshake. "Sounds good old timer."

Qrow held his hand for a moment. "You should talk to the kid, the other kid, more. Oscar, he uh, looks up to you."

Jaune's eyes widened in shock. "What?"

Qrow coughed. "Yeah, surprised me too. Apparently thinks you're some kinda male role-model."

Jaune winced. "He has terrible taste."

Qrow gave him a small smile. "That's what I said about you."

* * *

As it turned out, the Alert facility was FAR less exciting than what Jaune had imagined it might be, which was a disturbing trend that he was noticing with the military. A simple, squat building that sat a short distance away from a pad with two bullheads prepped and ready to go at a moment's notice. The inside of the building was similarly unspectacular. A large common room filled with tables, a small kitchen, weapon racks, a TV, and a stack of board and card games. There were a few rooms with beds set up for staying over the night, a briefing room, and bathroom that had a sign that could switch between male and female.

Truly an awe inspiring example of Atlas' might.

 _At least the company is good._ He thought with a smile, looking over at team RWBY, who'd shown up to hang out in a show of solidarity.

"Jaaauuuunnnnee. Why is your job so boring?" Ruby whined.

He snorted. "It'll be your job tomorrow morning. Got any twos?"

The girl shook her head and gestured to the deck. "Go fish. I just expected, I don't know, SOMETHING exciting to happen."

Weiss tsked indignantly. "This is exciting you dunce! We're part of a critical mission!"

Winter hummed. "Weiss, this is one of the duller parts of a job already filled with paperwork and meetings. It'll be exciting if something exciting happens. Until then, we just need to keep people from going stir crazy. Now, do you have any ones?"

The younger Schnee sighed as she handed over her cards. "How do you always know?"

Yang chuckled. "Big sister intuition. Watch this. Ruby, gimme your eights."

The reaper groaned. "It's not fair!"

"Awww, don't be such a sore loser sis, no need to pout."

"Like you were last night?" Blake shot across the table.

"What was that partner?"

"I asked if you have any threes."

"Funny, cause it sounded like 'punch me.'"

"Blake, you're stealing my 'bad life choices' bit." Jaune teased.

The raven-haired girl hummed. "I still think I've got you beat over the stretch."

Weiss looked around the table. "Wait, what happened last night?"

Blake smirked. "Not much apparently."

Nora choked on her drink.

Yang jabbed a finger across the table. "I know where you sleep."

"Right above you. Sounded like you were having trouble sleeping last night though."

Weiss gasped. "Yang Xiao Long!"

"I didn't do anything!"

Winter shot Jaune a glance. "Explains why you were moody this morning. You really can drop the ball on anything, huh?"

Jaune glared at Nora, who suddenly found the ceiling fascinating. "It was a team effort."

Ren tried to hide his smirk behind his cards. "I'm sure it was all in the name of concern for your well being. Now, do you have sevens?"

Nora broke. "Are you sure you don't want any Jacks? I'm sure Jaune wouldn't mind getting some Jacks off."

"NORA!" Weiss cried.

Jaune slammed his head down on the table with a groan. Ruby turned the same color as her cloak. Yang buried her face in her hands. Blake high-fived the pinkete.

Winter just shook her head. "You all are the hope of Remnant. Clearly, we're all doomed."

Jaune opened his mouth to retort, but a wailing alarm filling the room, accompanied by flashing red lights.

Winter was on her feet in an instant. "Beowolves, in the briefing room now! Everyone else, get the hell out of my facility!"

Team RWBY started for the door, wishing them luck. Jaune turned to hit the briefing room, only to have his arm caught. He whipped around to receive a peck on the lips from a grinning Yang.

"Knock'em dead Ladykiller."

* * *

Jaune was just amazed at how fast it all went.

They were quickly shuffled into a dark room where they were briefed on everything from the population of the settlement, the likely layout of the two houses that they were targeting, estimated troop strength, the response time of bullheads if things went south.

And maps, so many maps. They reviewed multiple approach routes and strategies before deciding on landing just outside of the village and walking their way in in order to, hopefully, keep as much of the local population out of the conflict as possible. If all went well, they'd be in the houses before the shooting started. If not…

Jaune winced as he remembered Beacon and Anthem.

"Jaune." He heard a voice call out as they moved toward the waiting bullheads. He turned to find Winter staring at him.

"Sorry, I just…"

She shook her head. "Nerves." She put a hand on his shoulder. "What are we doing?"

"Hitting sites Alpha and Bravo. You and Nora have Alpha, Ren and I have Bravo."

She nodded. "And what are you going to do if we get hit before the house?"

"Keep moving, get off the X, find a defensible position." He repeated Stevens' lesson.

"Good." She clapped him on the shoulder. "Tell your team that on the bullhead. They know, but they'll be expecting it."

He nodded numbly and swallowed. "Thanks."

"You're ready, it's just like training."

"Except the bullets are real." He shot back.

She smirked. "That's what you're there for." She held out a hand. "Now, do your thing."

"What?"

She rolled her eyes. "Aura Link with me Arc."

"R-right." He reached out and grasped her hand and focused on her.

He felt the connection snap into place, and felt the surge of emotions and impressions flow through him.

There's anxiety there now, a fear that wasn't there before that makes him feel strangely less alone. It's combated by an iron will, a determination that's both hot in its intensity, and cold in its resolve. He could _feel_ her concern for him, but also her confidence in him. He could feel the color white, and he was no closer to figuring that one out than he was the last time.

Winter blinked as he pulled back, flexing her hands as if not quite believing the power in them.

She shot him a smile. "Thanks, now get on your damn bullhead before we leave you."

"I can always take it back." He countered.

He grinned when she pulled back. "That won't be necessary. Shoo."

"Yes ma'am." He mock saluted as he turned and made his way over to the bullhead, stepping in taking a seat next Ren. His brother nodded to him as they strapped in, giving him a small fist bump of quiet reassurance. He shot a thumbs up to Peter and Stevens sitting across from them.

They stayed in silence as the bullhead engines spooled up, drowning out everything else. The airframes picked themselves up off the ground and began their slow climb into the sky, engines roaring in their fight against gravity. As they began to level out, the noise reduced to a dull hum.

Stevens leaned across the hold. "Ready to pop those cherries, Specs?"

Jaune rolled his eyes. "You know this isn't the first time we've done this, right?"

Peter gave him a dismissive wave. "That was amateur hour shit, now you're rolling with Atlas."

Stevens jerked a thumb towards his partner proudly. "What Pete said."

Ren hummed. "I think it would be more appropriate to say...Atlas is rolling with us." He said as he exchanged a high five with Jaune.

Stevens scoffed. "Pete, can you believe these guys?"

The faunus shook his head in mock disappointment. "The arrogance."

"Forgive me for saying so sir, but it's unbecoming of an officer." Stevens chastised with a grin.

Jaune smiled back. "How will I live with the shame?"

Ren shrugged. "I suppose the way we always do, by being better than everyone else."

Peter chuckled. "Damn, bulletproof monk is feeling it today!"

Jaune laughed. "Ren's quiet, but he never expects to lose a fight. He's a firm believer in speaking softly and carrying a big stick."

Stevens raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? Specialist Valkyrie know about this big stick of yours?"

Jaune couldn't help but snort as Ren colored, earning him a glare. He held his hands up defensively.

"I didn't say a word!"

Peter smirked. "Didn't have to, we know what our boy likes."

"He's a fan of that pink boo-"

"Ok, ok!" Jaune interrupted, earning silent thanks from Ren. "I think we're good. Besides, I don't think you'd talk to Winter like that."

Stevens recoiled in false offense. "Bro! Talk to the First that way?"

Peter shook his head. "Never, we're professionals."

Ren tsked playfully. "Professionally unprofessional maybe."

Peter and Stevens nodded to each other. "Sounds about right." They agreed.

Jaune chuckled, all the tension he'd felt before boarding gone. "Alright, let's get serious for a second." All eyes focused in on him. "We're going to hit site Bravo. Simple, two-story house, nothing too complicated." There were nods around the bay, encouraging him to continue. "We're going to land outside the village and move to the target on foot. We're trying to keep this fire-fight to the building itself. If the shooting starts before then, then get behind me, my Aura can take a beating. Any questions?"

"We're looking to capture as many as possible, correct?" Ren asked.

Jaune nodded. "As long as you can do so safely. If there's a threat…"

"Got it." Stevens said, nudging Peter with his knee to get a grunt of confirmation.

Jaune clapped his hands together. "Ok, let's do this."

"Let's mosey, you mean?" Stevens teased.

Jaune open his mouth to retort, but was cut off by the intercom.

" _Gents, we're 5 out, prep for landing."_

"Time to earn those paychecks." Peter said as he started scanning over his gear.

"What are they paying us?" Ren asked as he ran a function check on StormFlower.

Jaune shrugged, adjusting Crocea Mors. "I'm told well?"

Stevens snorted. "Ok at best."

"Damn."

* * *

The bullhead groaned as it settled down in the clearing just out of earshot of the village. They leapt out of the craft and joined up with Winter's team. Together, they began to quickly and quietly make their way towards the village in their file. After a few minutes, the village came into view, and they split off again.

 _We're going to have to move fast once we get to the village to keep this contained._ Thought Jaune.

They picked up speed as they hit the edge of the town, each of them taking a side of the street, and staying in step with each other to coordinate the assault. Ignoring the alarm and murmurs of the villagers they passed, pressing hard to get to the building before someone realized what was happening and alerted the Fang. Their target came into view and Jaune scanned the second story.

 _Windows on our side are too small for Ren, he's coming through the front._

They formed their stack on the side of the building, and Jaune took a deep breath.

 _This is it._

He felt Stevens squeeze his shoulder in reassurance.

" _Go."_ Winter's voice sounded over the comm in his ear.

He spun into the front door, lowering his shoulder behind his shield and blasting it off its hinges. The scene inside was one of confusion, with three men gathered around a table in the main living area, pouring over what looked like a map and dressed in the all too familiar black and white, and all armed.

"Don't-" He started.

They reached for their weapons, and Steven's rifle cracked, joined soon after by Peter's. The rounds took the men in the chest, spraying red onto the wall behind them as they fell.

 _Move, move, move._ Jaune chanted in his head as he forced himself forward, eyes scanning the room as they flowed through it like a storm. They hit the next room the same way, running with his shield high and Stevens rifle at the ready over his shoulder.

The rest of the first floor proved empty, but the sounds of shuffling feet echoed above their heads. He nodded back to Stevens as they made their way to the staircase and slowly began their ascent, Stevens and Peter's rifles trained upwards as Ren covered the bottom of the stairs, keeping their escape route clear.

Jaune winced as he saw the door at the top of the stairs. There was no way the they weren't moving into a choke point, with at least one person ready to meet them. As he reached the landing at the top of the, he lowered himself and prepped to charge the door, just as it exploded back into him, wood shards bouncing off his Aura and almost knocking him back into Stevens.

"Go, go, go!" The large man called from behind him.

Jaune surged through the remains of the door, bursting into a room to find it filled with Fang members, one of which had a shotgun pointed at his head. He raised his shield just in time to catch the second spray, widening his body to cover Stevens. Bullets ripped back across the room in protest, pushing the shotgun-wielder back with a grunt and a flash of blue.

"Aura threat!" Stevens yelled out.

"I've got'em!" Jaune called back, sprinting across the distance and catching another load of shot on his shield and Aura. He slammed his shield into the large man's weapon, driving in up and away as it fired again, slashing his blade into the man's side. The faunus let out a grunt and bent with the blow, catching his arm and pulling the knight forward and off balance into a knee, his other arm letting go of his gun tangle with Jaune's shield.

They grappled together for a moment, each struggling to push the other back, heels stomping down into the tops of feet and knees slamming into thighs as the fire-fight raged around them. Jaune pushed forward once again, waiting for the man to push back before relaxing, letting the larger man drive forward and meeting him with a headbutt for his efforts.

"Fuck!" The faunus growled as his head rocked backwards. Jaune took the opening, slamming home the pommel of his weapon twice, before turning his hips into the man, throwing them both to the ground with a crash. Jaune brought his weapon around, pressing his weight down on his sword, slowly pushing the blade downwards towards the faunus' throat, looking down into brown eyes wild with fear and rage as the man fought against him.

"Surrender!" He pleaded through gritted teeth.

The faunus nodded slowly, and Jaune pulled back slightly.

It was a mistake.

The man surged upwards, flipping their positions so that he ended up on top. He slammed Jaune's sword arm into the floor again and again until the blade flew from his grasp.

"Stupid human." He hissed, reaching for the knife on his belt. "Always looking down on us." He taunted as he ripped the shield off his arm and cast it away. He raised the knife up and prepared to drive it down.

Jaune grunted as he put his feet against the man's hips, and kicked for all he was worth, throwing the faunus back across the room as they both scrambled to their feet.

"Lucky." The faunus growled as he brandished his knife again. "Any last words?'

Jaune's eyes flickered over to his sword, out of reach. "Yeah." He panted. "Was wondering what kind of faunus you were. I'm guessing cat, on account of you being a pussy."

The man roared as he charged forward. Jaune surged to meet him, ducking low and driving his shoulder into the man's hips. His legs churned as he pushed them backwards, looking for the wall. He could feel the knife driving into his side, frantically trying to find a gap in his white armor.

He bellowed as he picked the faunus up, now fully sprinting towards the wall. They found the it, he could feel it them slow as they struck the surface, but then the wall was gone. What replaced it was the sensation of nothingness...and falling.

 _Shit._

They crashed to ground below in a heap, the breath being driven from both their lungs.

 _Get up!_

He pushed himself up on shaky arms, eyes flickering to the faunus besides him reaching for his knife. He dove on the man, one shin pinning the arm with the blade in place, while the other pressed into the larger man's chest. The faunus struggled to throw him off.

 _Stay down!_

His fist crashed down into the man's nose, snapping his head back into the ground. It slammed home again, and again, till he felt the crunch of the man's nose and felt him still.

He gasped for air as looked down onto the faunus' bloodied face and closed eyes.

"NOW, I'm looking down on you...bastard." His head snapped back towards the house. "Ren!"

"We're clear!" He heard his friend call back.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he rolled onto his back and closed his eyes, the adrenaline surging through him. He stayed that way till he felt a boot nudge him in the side, and popped one eye open to see three friendly faces looking down at him.

"You alive, bro?" Stevens asked.

"Nope."

"Cool. Critique up front? We prefer to shoot terrorist over punching them. History has taught us this."

Jaune grunted in response.

"That being said, that was the coolest thing I've ever fucking seen outside the First. 9 out of 10."

Peter tsked as he moved over to the downed Fang member, searching him for weapons.

"I got to go 7 out of 10 man. That 'pussy' line was some old shit."

Jaune winced. "Sorry, I was in a hurry. Are we…"

Peter chuckled. "We're cool, it was funny." He rolled the man over to apply the restraints, revealing a small black tail. "Son of a bitch, I think he IS a cat faunus."

Jaune tilted his head to Ren. "You can never tell Blake I said that." He pleaded.

His friend smirked. "No promises."

The blond sighed. "What's my grade?"

Ren hummed. "6 out of 10. Your landing strategy needs work."

"Yeah, never was really good at those."

"At least you fell on something hard, your head."

"Har har."

" _Stevens."_ A voice crackled in their ear.

The large man's hand shot up to his ear. "Ma'am."

" _We're all clear. You?"_

"Same over here ma'am."

" _...is the hole in the side of the building I'm looking at Arc shaped?"_

Peter thought that shit was hilarious. Stevens grinned. "Yes, ma'am."

" _Of course it is. Is he breathing?"_

"Affirmative ma'am. Even bagged a bad guy."

" _The miracles never cease. Collect both of them for me and let's get out of here before anyone else shows up."_

"Yes, ma'am."

"Love you too, Winter." Jaune spoke into the mic.

" _...Specialist Ren."_

"Yes ma'am?"

" _Gag Specialist Arc for me."_

"Yes ma'am." Ren affirmed, as he shot his friend a small smile.

Stevens shook his head. "You two already moved on to S&M? You sly dog!"

Peter tsked. "Sleeping your way to the top."

"Hate you. Hate you both."

* * *

Peter and Stevens were FAR too excited as the bullhead landed. Far more excited that the bound and gagged prisoner would have made them, he was sure. The way that they kept stealing glances over to him and Ren sealed it.

 _They're up to something…_

"What?" He asked, catching one of their eyes.

"Nothing." Stevens said, all smiles.

"Yeah, what's up with you?" Peter agreed.

Jaune glanced over to Ren, who shrugged. "Can't be worse than Nora."

"That's a challenge." Stevens mock whispered to Peter.

"You said you weren't planning anything!" Jaune accused.

"We're not!"

"But if we were…" Peter left hanging.

"Then it would be better than Pinky." Stevens finished.

"Don't challenge her." Ren warned. "I promise you'll lose."

"We'll see." Stevens said. "I mean-"

"We're landing!" Peter interrupted. "Time to get the prisoner." He said, as he none too gently pulled the man to his feet. "Come on asshole."

"Easy, Pete. That part comes later."

The ramp of the aircraft slowly lowered to the ground, revealing an impatient Winter waiting for them. She motioned to the faunus. "That him?"

Jaune rolled his eyes. "Nah, he's a random faunus we decided to beat up."

"To be fair, that wouldn't be a first in Atlas." Peter quipped.

"You're both hilarious. Comedians. Transfer to the entertainment division. Anywhere where I don't have to deal with you really." She shot back. "What's his name?"

"Go fuck yourself Schnee bitch!" The faunus snarled.

"That's Specialist Schnee bitch, thank you." She deadpanned. "What. Is. Your. Name?"

"Fuck off!"

"Charming. Peter, please escort Mr. Fuck Off to intel so we can start the debrief."

"Yes ma'am." Peter agreed as he began pushing Mr. FO down the ramp, pausing as he began to pass Winter. "Uh, ma'am, we were wondering…"

"After." She said.

He smirked. "Yes ma'am."

"Gentlemen, you're with me." She turned and began leading them towards the squat, square Alert facility a short distance away.

"What's next?" Jaune asked.

Winter shrugged. "We debrief on the mission, then we load everything back up and go back on status. Sorry if that's not exciting enough for you."

"I think we've had plenty of excitement for today, thank you." Ren put in.

She smirked. "I suppose so. I'll tell the Fang to keep quiet out of concern for your sleep schedule."

"Much obliged." The ninja shot back with a smile.

"Don't worry, if it goes down, Specialist Arc can punch them." Stevens teased. "I hear he's a real good puncher."

Jaune shot the man a look. "You should make fun of Yang's punching, she'll find it hilarious."

The soldier coughed. "Punching is a time honored military tactic, one that I'd never belittle."

"Yes." Winter drawled. "But I believe we'll have to cover why it was necessary later."

Jaune groaned. "Stevens."

"We'll make it up to you bro."

They reached the door to the facility shortly after, being directed by various officials to the same briefing room they started in. Before he was able to go in, Winter caught his arm, pulling him off to the side.

"You ok? That was quite the tussle from the sound of it." She asked, eyes scanning over him for injuries.

He grinned at her. "Aww, you do care. I'm fine mom."

She tsked. "And just like that, the moment is gone."

"Been a lot of that going around."

She shook her head a placed a hand on his shoulder. "You'll survive. But before we go in there and talk about what we did wrong, and what we could've done better, I wanted you to know...I'm proud of you Jaune. You protected your team, our team, that's what matters. Don't let anyone tell you different."

"Winter I-.' He swallowed. "Thank you."

She smiled and pushed him back towards the briefing room. "We'll make a Specialist out of you yet."

* * *

The briefing room was, inexplicably, even more boring the second time around. They told their account of the mission, stopped to answer questions, then basically retold the story of the mission about half-a-dozen more times.

 _This is as bad as a Port lecture._ Jaune lamented. Looking over at a struggling to stay awake Nora. Apparently describing the exact nature of her explosions was only interesting the first three times through.

When they finally finished and the intel team cleared out, Stevens and Peter were practically bouncing with excitement. They weren't the only ones. Jaune looked around and saw that Sam, Rob, and Ricky were all gathering around them. He took a slow step back. This was bad.

"Ma'am?" Stevens pleaded.

Winter sighed and held up a hand. "I'm going into the bunks and listen to music. Loud, angry, noise cancelling music. I know nothing of what happens from this point forward. You are all to remain ready to go at all times. Are we clear?"

"Crystal." Stevens grinned.

"You're a saint, ma'am." Sam agreed.

"What are we talking about?" Jaune asked.

"You'll find out." Rob promised.

Nora clapped her hands excitedly. "Ominous!"

Ricky placed a hand on Ren's shoulder. "It's better if you just let it happen."

The boy in green's gaze narrowed. "I'm not going to like this."

"Depends on what you're into I guess." Peter offered.

"Hup bup bup." Winter cut in. "Wait till I'm gone." She said as she turned and quickly made her way to the area that held the beds.

"Bye, ma'am." Stevens called.

"Bye, Stevens. Be good."

"Good-ish, ma'am."

"Good enough."

The next few hours were a blur for Jaune. He remember pieces clearly, but if you asked him to tell you how one thing led to another? Well…

He certainly remembered how it started. The instant Winter's door closed, all eyes snapped to them, grins spread wide on the team's faces. It was honestly kinda creepy, but not nearly as creepy as the chants of 'one of us' that started up immediately after...or Rob locking the door to the building.

He remembered trying to reason with them, even calling upon his newfound rank in a moment of panic. It had not worked...at all.

Within moments, they'd been thrown into Beowolf t-shirts, sporting the unit mascot, 'Wolfy' he'd learned, and forced into learning the unit song.

 _I'm a big bad wolf!_

 _I've got big ass eyes to see you wherever you hide_

 _I've got big ass claws cause out here I make the laws_

 _Those big ole teeth? All the better to keep this brief_

 _I done made the woodcutter into butter_

 _You stumbled into the wrong hood, now we're gonna put you down for good_

 _Cause I'm a big bad wolf_

Then they all howled.

It was dumb the first time, it was dumber the second time….but dammit if they weren't getting into by the third time.

Next he remembered the energy drink chugging competition. He was assured that they were lucky that there wasn't a bar available, or it would have been much much worse. Despite his heart feeling like it was about to rip its way out of his chest and fight someone, that was actually pretty tame.

Until Nora got involved.

Surprising no one, Nora took to energy drinks like a Qrow to bourbon. Jaune had laughed along with everyone else...till he saw the look on Ren's face. As it turned out, caffeine had approximately the same effects on Nora as bourbon did to a Qrow.

The words, 'which one of you cowards wants to throw hands,' was going to be forever ingrained in the annals of Beowolf history.

A black eye apiece for him and Ren and a few gallons of water later, they'd finally put her down.

Sam had challenged him to dance off, which had started off friendly enough, but quickly devolved into an grueling hour-long competition with the rest of the team cheering them on. Which again, wouldn't have been so bad, if it hadn't been in the form of throwing money at them and yelling for them to 'take it off.' Far more of those had been aimed at him than he'd been expecting.

Ren and Stevens had then engaged in a game called 'gay chicken,' which involved progressively trying to make each other more uncomfortable, and Peter assured him that no really won. Turns out, a guy with the ability to suppress his emotions is a poor choice to play with. The sight of the two locking lips would stay with him for the rest of his days, and if the 'snap' from Sam's scroll was any indication, it'd stay with the two of them as well. He was just glad Nora was in a sugar induced coma...for Stevens' sake.

The rest? A blur. Though he was sure that the pictures would surface at the most inopportune time. But that was a problem for future Jaune. Current Jaune? He was interested in finding his bed and getting some much overdue rest.

He opened the door to the bunks carefully, trying to avoid waking Winter. He needed have bothered. She was sitting up in her bed, leaning back against the wall. She smirked at him as she took off her headphones.

"Have fun?"

He groaned. "Yes. No. Maybe."

She chuckled and slid off the bunk, walking over to him. "I remember 'joining the pack.' Those pictures can never see the light of day."

He raised an eyebrow. "That bad?"

"Incriminating would be a good word." She smiled at his unit t-shirt. "It's weird isn't it? It's just a cheap shirt, but it feels important somehow."

He looked down at it and smiled. "Yeah."

"It looks good on you." She said as she clapped him on the shoulder.

He yelped. "It's still tender!"

She scowled. "Still tender?" Her eyes widened as she grabbed his arm and pushed his sleeve up, gasping as she did so. "JAUNE! WHY DO YOU HAVE A 'WOLFY' TATTOO!?"

* * *

 **Meet the Beowolves**

 **Rob Teller - Old Guard, New World**

Rob stood at attention, just like he'd been taught, listening with rapt attention as the two men raged in front of him.

"I said, arm them. That's an order." The officer dressed in white growled.

"They. Are. Children." His professor yelled back poking his finger into the man's chest.

The officer snarled as he pushed the teacher back. "Do not forget yourself _instructor._ You teach them marksmanship do you not? Time to put it to the test."

"This is a prep school. They're not ready." He pleaded.

The officer scoffed. "None of us were. Ironwood's bastards have breached the inner city." He gave a tired sigh. "The third legion is in shambles, I need every man I can get."

"They're not men." The instructor argued.

"They're about to be."

* * *

Rob sat in his hastily constructed barricade, the third he'd fallen back to in as many days. He listened as the sounds of gunfire and screaming came closer, the flashes of explosions and muzzles illuminating the night. To his right and his left, his schoolmates, what was left of them, nervously checked their rifles and whispered silent prayers.

He watched as the flares went up, making night day once more...and revealing grim faces on the other side of the barricades.

The bullets tore through their lines, rending flesh with a brutal efficiency. Rob hunkered down, desperate to find refuge from the storm of steel. His vision was quickly filled with a pistol being pressed against his head.

"Get up and fight boy, or I'LL be the one that blows your brains out." The council guard hissed, before turning and yelling down the line. "Any man that surrenders will be executed! You will fight to the end!"

He watched as the officer moved down the line to a boy that refused to be moved from beneath his flimsy shelter, tears streaming down his face. He watched as the officer raised his sidearm and pressed it to the boy's temple.

Rob raised his rifle and steadied his breathing, just like he'd been taught, and squeezed the trigger.

* * *

The prison camps had been harsh.

There wasn't much food to go around, not with the war in the city and supplies being shipped out to the Hunters holding the Grimm back on the borders. Medical care had been worse, and a dirty rag pressed against the wound on his eye instead of clean gauze, a prayer holding back infection rather than antiseptic.

But from the way that the guards were celebrating, he guessed that they wouldn't be here for much longer...one way or another.

He pressed against the fence, desperate to hear something, _anything_ about what their fate would be.

Then he saw him.

Metal arm swinging and glinting the harsh Atlas sun, walking along the fence line and speaking animatedly to the man beside him.

"...executed. They can't be trusted….make an example…" He could hear the man say.

Ironwood shook his head. "...Arty, no...integration...not like the council…"

The man scoffed. "...half-measure...faunus will riot…"

The Iron-rebel turned to the fence, scanning over the prisoners, and for a second, Rob swore that their eyes locked. The Specialist slowly shook his head.

"No."

* * *

"Make no mistake." The officer barked. "You're officially part of the new Atlesian military, but you are not one of us. I remember what you did to our brothers at the capitol." He gestured back to the rest of the unit. "They remember too. We're watching you. Never forget it. You will NEVER make rank in my military."

Rob wished that there had been a way to earn a living outside of the military, but people weren't keen on hiring council vets, or loyalist as they were being called.

An older man next to him spat as the officer walked away, Tyson he remembered, and turned to him. "Forget'em boy, us vets will stick together, don't need to work with these traitors and animal lovers anyway. Let's get some chow."

And Rob let himself be led over to a table set aside from the rest, full of broken men.

* * *

"I'm not taking orders from an animal." Tyson roared.

Sgt Zane was unimpressed. "No, but you will take them from a superior."

"You'll never be superior to us, _dog_." Tyson growled, as his gang of council vets slowly encircled the faunus.

"One last time." Zane said, as he stared him down. "Pick up your fucking packs and march."

"No." Tyson snapped as his fist shot out towards the faunus.

Rob wasn't sure when or why he decided to move, but he his fist had found the side of Tyson's face, knocking the man to the ground.

"Traitor!" The man yelled in shock and anger from his place on the ground. "Get him!"

The fight that had ensued was vicious, but brief, quickly being broken up by the rest of the squad. Now Rob waited, hands cuffed behind his back, and ready for the inevitable news that they'd be court marshaled. That he'd soon be another loyalist begging on the streets of Atlas.

"Sgt Zane, I'm so sorry that you had to deal with this. Rest assured, these men will be punished _severely_ , then discharged. We don't need their kind. Please give Captain Markus my regards." The officer apologized profusely.

Rob's gaze locked with Zane's, and in his eyes, he saw a man that owed him nothing. Less than nothing.

The faunus shook his head. "Not him. He's with me."

* * *

Zane led him to the Beowolves' table in the mess hall, and immediately all eyes locked on him.

"This is Rob. Rob, these animals are the Beowolves." Zane introduced him, a small smile on his face.

"Zane, he's a loyalist." Someone protested.

"He's with me."

"He's a fucking loyalist." They repeated.

A dark skinned man at the end of the table slammed his fist down. "So was I. So were we all...once." The man shook his head and smiled at him. "I'm Captain Markus. Welcome to the Beowolves."

* * *

Rob watched with a smile on his face as Amber chased Noir around the yard, desperately trying to catch her sister. He shook his head and looked to Zane, flipping burgers on the grill.

"You're kids are ridiculous."

"They're angels."

"They're ridiculous angels."

The faunus chuckled. "Fair enough."

A comfortable silence settled on them, but the questioned question burned in his chest. It had always burned there. He broke the silence.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why'd you stand up for me all those years ago? Another loyalist dog?"

The dog-faunus snorted. "I take offense to that."

"Zane." He pleaded.

His friend hummed. "Because no one stood up for me."

* * *

He sipped his beer from his place on the couch next to Zane. Watching kids beat the hell out of each other wasn't his favorite past-time, but Noir was obsessed with it. Obsessed with the 'Invincible Girl,' fighting in the finals, and so they watched.

Zane had made the kids leave the room as soon as the pirate broadcast started. They'd both seen enough terrorist declarations to know what was happening. His heart broke when he saw the white and black uniforms, and the familiar flag of the Fang flying over the burning city. He knew what it'd mean to his friend, faunus gunning down children. What it'd mean for his family as faunus in the coming days.

"Zane...I'm sorry."

The faunus was quiet for a moment, watching the grisly scene play out. "Don't be." He turned and looked at him with tired eyes. "We're going to kill these fucks."

The phone rang.

* * *

 **AN: Well folks, that brings us to the end of the 'Meet the Beowolves,' shorts. Be on the lookout for something different next week.**

* * *

 **Omake**

 **Miscommunication**

 **Shout out to LordLoverDuck**

Yang spotted Jaune, and began weaved her way through the tents intent of catching the boy before he got to the Alert facility, and they were robbed of ALL privacy. Surprisingly, her uncle beat her to it. She almost peeled off, but the way Qrow was nervously glancing around got her interested. She slowly eased her way closer, keeping the tents in between them, straining to hear.

"Excuse me?" She heard her uncle say.

 _He's upset about something._

She couldn't make out most of Jaune's response till. "...that's my proposal."

Her heart stopped in her chest. He couldn't possibly mean….it was still so early...but then again, they were out here risking their lives everyday.

 _Breath girl, breath!_

She peaked around the tent and saw her uncle shake his head, she strained to hear. "The fucking balls on you kid. What makes you think I won't…"

 _Oh Gods, uncle Qrow is threatening him, it really is that!_

Jaune was steadfast. "You won't."

Her heat rose in her chest. He wasn't afraid of Qrow at all, or at least thought it was worth the risk.

 _That I'M worth the risk._

"Awful confident today." Her uncle shot back.

 _Jaune always did say all you need it confidence...I'm starting to believe him._

She watched as her knight smirked at the the man. Smirked! "We're friends, or close enough. Besides, if Ruby and Yang found out, you'd have hell to pay."

 _Hell yeah he would!_

"Ain't that the truth." Her uncle grumbled, and she lost the next few exchanges in the wind.

 _Oh Gods, he just got his blessing!_ Her heart threatened to leap out of her chest.

"Oz might have something to say about that." Was the next thing she caught.

 _The Headmaster thinks he can tell us what to do? As if._

She leaned further forward, risking detection, but desperate to hear Jaune's response.

Jaune snorted. "Sure. Either way, I can't see that playing out well for him."

She gasped. _He's going to face down Ozpin for me!_

She watched nervously as Qrow looked her boyfriend, maybe fiance, over. "You're insane, you know that kid?"

The boy grinned. "So I've been told."

The grey man shrugged and held out a hand. "Alright kid, you got yourself a deal, for all the good it'll do you."

She couldn't hold back anymore. She could feel the tears streaming down her face, but she didn't care anymore. She burst out from behind the tent.

"Yes! The answer is yes!"

Both men stared at her in confusion.

"What?" Jaune asked, his shock apparent on his face. She could understand given the circumstances.

She wiped the hot tears from her face. "It's ok baby. I heard everything. I know it's sudden and all, but I'm ok with it. Let's do it."

The blond shook his head. "Yang, I'm confused."

She laughed. "I know, I am too, but not about this."

"What are you saying babe? Be clear."

She grinned. "I'm saying yes you doof. I'll totally be Mrs. Arc." She cried, before wrapping the boy in a tight embrace.

A silence overtook the clearing.

Jaune slowly looked up to a very confused, very angry Qrow.

"Do...do you want me to call you uncle now?"

"YOU LITTLE SONUVABITCH!"

* * *

 **Fight Nerd Corner: This chapter was yet another in a long series of debates that Cr00cy and I have...pretty much every time one of us writes a fight scene. To keep it brief, he helps keep me in line, and the clinch fight that Jaune and Shotgun Kitty (SK) was the subject of some debate, but I'll offer you some of my experience with it.**

 **The clinch is a terrible place where bad things happen to good people...I love it. It's a frantic struggle for control of wrists, body posture, and hip positioning. When you add a weapon to the mix, gun or blade, it becomes a struggle to balance between controlling the weapon (always control the weapon if you're the guy getting stabbed at) and staying on your feet. My section of the debate with Cr00cy was over how much swinging and stabbing is going on in the clinch when someone has a hold you. My experience (fighting in the clinch several times a week and knife drills) not a lot unless there's a skill imbalance, but hey, I don't fight with a sword and shield and Cr00cy doesn't do MMA, so will never know till one of us buys a plane ticket.**

 **Additionally, I can't emphasize how important it is to follow through with your techniques. Jaune gets the 'takedown' in this fight because he keeps driving forward. You'd be surprised how many people stop trying a technique if it doesn't work immediately, and how many people come to expect you to stop and are surprised if you keep pressing forward with it. Granted it takes Jaune through a wall, but he ends up on top.**

 **Cr00cy: Well, our debate here was mostly about two things: How would Jaune use his weapons (both shield and sword) once he was in close with SK? How, and how fast could he lose his weapons?**

 **Problem I have with many stories that include swords, is that people assume that once you are chest-to-chest, sword becomes useless. It's extremely rare for writers to make they characters use swords properly in such situations.**

 **And don't even get me started with shields. As person who fought with sword and shield a lot I know full well how much shield strike can hurt. And even if you don't want to bash enemy - you can always show your shield in his chest, and start stabbing under, or around it. It's very effective tactic, when there is no space to make decent swing.**

 **AN: Sorry for the delay in the chapter. Going to try to get back on track next week. I'm glad you all are enjoying the story thus far. Also, because I have no self-control, I've started another story (A Monster's Marriage) that should be updating on Saturdays. Go check it out if you like Crack-Ships (KnightFall? What am I doing with my life?).**


	10. Spirit Mission

**Cr00cy is still putting up with me.**

 **We're getting into the meat of the story after this folks, expect every other week updates.**

 **Chapter 9**

 **Spirit Mission**

* * *

 **W.S. Quote Book Says:** And ever has it been known that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation. - Kahlil Gibran

 **W.S. Playlist Says:** Cuz I can tell, my life with you would be delicious  
The way you lick your lips and shake your hips got me addicted  
I'm sittin' here hoping that we can find some way to kick it - 2 Pac, "Can U Get It"

* * *

Jaune stuffed the small collection of clothes and toiletries that he'd brought with him to the Alert facility into his bag, anxious to be done with the place, even if only for a day. He slung the bag over his shoulder, drawing up the sleeve of his t-shirt and revealing a small cartoon tail. He winced as he walked over to a mirror a raised his sleeve up fully, revealing the flexing Beowolf mascot in all his glory.

 _I've had better ideas._

"Jaune-Jaune!" He heard Nora call from the other room. "You ready to go? Let's get out of here!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming!" He shouted back as he dropped the sleeve and made his way back to the common room, finding his team waiting at the tables set up in the middle, half of them watching scrolls and watches as the minutes ticked closer to the end of their shift.

"How we feeling Spec?" Stevens asked with a grin.

The blond sighed. "I'll live, no thanks to you all."

"Awww, we had so much fun though." Sam mock whined. "Like-"

Winter coughed. "I like my plausible deniability, thank you. You all spent the night playing board games and being responsible." She said, fighting off a smile of her own.

Jaune glared at her. "You can't even say it with a straight face. You could have warned us, you know."

She scoffed. "Well I hardly expected you to get a tattoo. Get your head shaved, maybe, but I've never seen the tattoo before."

"Peter can be quite convincing." Ren added, earning a happy nod from the faunus.

"Oh?" Sam cut in with a grin. "Is he the only one? Specialist Ren, I've got a few photos on this scroll of you and Stevens being 'convincing' that I could share."

"Completely unnecessary!" The boy assured her hurriedly, casting a nervous glance towards a curious Nora.

"What photos?" The pinkete asked.

"Of my tattoo!" Jaune lied, earning a silent 'thank you' from Ren as his partner lit up and jumped to her feet.

"Let me see!" She demanded excitedly as she pushed her way over to him, rolling up his sleeve form him. She gasped. "Jauney, it's-"

"Adorable!" Ruby cried from her place at the door to the facility, before zipping over and leaning in to inspect the tattoo. "It's a cute little doggy!"

Jaune blushed. "It's a Beowolf!" He defended.

"It's an _adorable_ Beowolf." Blake corrected, as she followed her leader through the door with the rest of RWBY.

"Kinda like you, Ladykiller." Yang agreed.

Weiss sighed. "Must we start so early?"

Yang grinned. "Well, they didn't let us in last night, so we've got ground to cover." She made her way over to Jaune an inspected the new ink. "So, this is what you were up to instead of Yanging out with me? I've got to question your life choices. We were all excited to hail the conquering heroes." She finished with a wink.

Ruby missed his blush. "Yeah, what was it like?! Did you guys jump out of the bullhead? Did you fight people? How cool were their weapons!?"

Winter snorted. "Yes Jaune, regale them with tales of your martial prowess."

He shot her a look. "I did fine, thank you."

Ren nodded. "You kept us safe." A slow smirk crossed his face. "Really used your head out there."

"Ha ha buddy."

Peter chuckled. "Nah, we're proud of you. Did some real bridge building between the races out there."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?" Jaune's eyes widened in panic.

Stevens tweaked the rabbit-faunus' ear. "That's a Beowolves secret ma'am. Isn't that right, Pete?"

The faunus sighed. "Yeah, I suppose we own him now,, wouldn't want to break him."

Yang tsked. "He's on loan to you." She hummed. "Though you don't have a tattoo of me yet."

"Is it a competition?"

"Duh."

He sighed. "Aren't couple's tattoos dumb?"

"Dumber than a cartoon wolf?" She shot back.

"Ma'am, I'm gonna have to ask you to take that back, 'Wolfy' is a symbol of honor and respect." Sam said with a laugh.

"He's fucking dumb Sam." Robin corrected, as she pushed the facility door open.

The red-head shook her head. "Better than your dumbass Ursa mascot."

"You leave 'Urkle' out of this."

"Who names their mascot 'Urkle!?'"

"Who names their mascot 'Wolfy!?'"

Yang shook her head at the two's antics, before turning back to Jaune and poking a playful finger in his chest. "We'll circle back to this tattoo discussion later, and what secret you just got out of telling Blake."

He laughed. "But do we have to?"

"Yep!" She smirked. "Think about where you want my name."

He held a hand over his heart. "But it's already right here."

He heard a familiar groan come from the door. "Kid, that was the corniest shit I've ever heard." Qrow chastised.

"Oh, I'm sorry, which one of us is single again?" He shot back.

Qrow scoffed. "I can't be tied down. How would that be fair to all the women of Remnant?"

"You're right, we should have you fixed and muzzled instead." Winter quipped, earning a quick laugh from Yang.

"Still playing hard to get, huh Ice Queen?"

"As if I'd-"

"As if she'd-"

Weiss and Winter started in at the same time, sending the room into a fit of laughter, and causing the two women to blush.

Qrow smirked, pleased with himself, before motioning to Jaune. "Get over here kid, I've got care and feeding instructions for Oscar."

The blond rolled his eyes. "He's fourteen, not four."

"Yeah, and you're barely capable of looking after yourself, but I'm out of options, so get your ass over here."

He sighed and nipped at Yang, causing her to squeak. "I have to go talk to my mistress."

She laughed. "I knew there was something more to those walks in the woods!"

He shuddered as he walked towards the older man, who jerked his head towards the front door. He waited till they were outside and away from the door before nodding to the knight.

"Alright, wasn't the most subtle, but with us being stuck here, it's probably the best we're going to get. Good job on not agreeing right away, makes it more believable."

Jaune snorted. "We're going to need a better system."

Qrow grunted. "I'll figure one out, but for right now, spill."

"Nope, I get to ask first."

"Brat." Qrow chidded, before sighing. "Hurry it up."

Jaune nodded. "What's Ozpin got on Ironwood? How does he play into the inner circle?"

Qrow chuckled. "Not much of a circle now kid, but I get why you ask." He stroked his chin, eyes staring out into the distance, deep in thought. "It all started back during the revolution around twenty years ago. Oz had been trying to find a way into the Atlas power structure for years, but the old council was too closed off. But then, suddenly a new player hits the board. Old Jimmy wanted change, but he didn't think it all the way through, see? Didn't think about how violent that it was going to get."

"That bad?"

Qrow took a pull from his tea-filled flask and winced. "Not at first, but as they got closer to the capital? Yeah, it got bad, real bad. The Grimm started coming out in force, and it looked like it was all going to come apart. They were going to smash Ironwood and then the council soon after. We were talking about a full collapse of a kingdom, something that we never imagined. So, Jimmy's trying to figure out which direction to point his guns, how he's going to survive…"

"And along comes Ozpin." Jaune finished.

"You got it. Oz offered to send in the collective might of Vale's Hunters, an alliance like the world hadn't seen in years. They held the line on the borders, letting Jimmy finish his fight without worrying about being eaten alive."

"You were there, weren't you?"

The older man nodded. "The whole team came out for that one. It was brutal. People dying in droves, Alphas everywhere you looked." He sighed. "There's a reason we don't fight those kinda wars anymore, kid."

"Was it worth it?"

Qrow shrugged. "At the time, I'd have said 'hell no,' but the people of Atlas disagreed, obviously. Twenty-odd years later? Jimmy's done alright, people's lives are better. Not what they wanted, but better. A hundred years from now? We'll all have a different answer, I'm sure. Point is, Jimmy got his new Atlas, and Oz?"

"Got to bring another nation into the fold." The blond nodded. "He's good."

"Been playing the game for a long time kid. Now, what have you got for me?"

Jaune sighed. "Fair's fair I guess." He reached into his pocket and fished out a knife, tossing it to Qrow. "Got that pulled on me yesterday."

The Hunter hummed. "It's good kit kid, but what-"

"Look at the blade."

The man looked at the knife again, eyes widening as they scanned to stencil on the blade.

 _ATLAS SPECIALIST._

"Fuck." He articulated.

"Yeah." Jaune agreed. "The shotgun the guy had was the same. So, the question is-"

"-Who's arming them?"

* * *

The next few days had passed slowly. FAR too slowly for Jaune's taste.

It just had all started to blend together. The constant rotation of getting up and going to the Alert facility, either to hang out with RWBY or to go on shift themselves, day after day. That's not to say that there hadn't been missions, there had been, but they'd been simple Grimm extermination runs, building relations with the local populous. Not exactly the most stimulating given the amount of time they'd spent waiting around.

He wasn't sure how many more of Stevens' theories on the differences between Vacuan, Mistrilian, or Vale girls he could listen to, and that rabbit hole ran deep. Similarly, he'd quickly lost his taste for, and just become lost in general, when listening to Blake, Peter, and Chief Zane debate exactly who and when had caused the Faunus' Rights movement to turn violent, and who, human or faunus, had caused the most damage to it. He'd enjoyed chatting with Sam about dance routines, and Rob about weapons and tactics - the man was an expert on anything that went boom, or picking Ricky's brain on medical knowledge, trying to figure out how to better utilize his Semblance, but he was running out of things to say. Ren and Nora were always there to keep him company, but something was still bothering him, making him anxious.

Oh, he knew what it was, but it was _embarrassing._

He could tell it was bothering her too. They'd laughed about it at first, joked about how they kept getting interrupted, but now that it look like nothing would happening anytime soon? Well, let's just say he'd noticed a sizable increase in how snippy they were with their teammates. He was just shocked at how something that he'd NEVER had until recently had suddenly become a necessity. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if they didn't have to stare at each other everyday.

He sighed and glanced over at Winter. They sat at a small wooden table on a platform overlooking the training complex, sipping on their morning coffee, watching one of the teams run their way through the course. She wasn't having any issues, she wasn't stressed by the living conditions. She seemed perfectly content to sit on Alert and relax, not a care in the world.

 _I kinda hate you._ He thought without any real malice.

She took a sip of her coffee. "There a reason why you're trying to stare a hole through me, Arc?"

He quickly glanced away. "No."

She eyed him. "Uh huh. Just glare at people randomly now, do you?"

"I don't want to talk about it." He mumbled.

She shook her head. "You're such a damn teenager."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

She scoffed. "Yeah, I'm sure."

He glared at her. "You're imagining things."

"Please. I'm imagining the longing stares? The sitting WAY too close together, the-"

"Yes!" He shouted, much louder than he intended.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm just surprised that I haven't to chase you out of the bathroom with a broom."

He blushed, glancing around the patio. "Is-is it that bad?"

She smirked. "Oh, so you do have a problem?"

He choked. "Why do we have to talk about this?"

"Because it's funny. Relax, your probably fine. I don't think the two of you have been THAT bad. You're just young and in love. And horny, definitely that."

He buried his face in his arms. "No one else is having issues." He complained.

She laughed. "Well, no one else is just finding out what getting laid is like. Except maybe Ren and Nora, I can never tell what's going on with those two-"

"-It's complicated."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course it is. Also, no one is hanging around their girlfriend full time."

"Oh, we're dating?" He joked back.

"Ha ha. Though, I can't imagine hanging out with a beautiful woman like me helps either." She stated proudly.

He snorted.

She raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"It's nothing, it's just that, I kinda consider you one of the guys, you know?"

Her eyes narrowed. "I do not know, please tell me more."

"Not in a bad way!" He exclaimed.

"Is there a good way?"

"Yeah, you're like...one of the-"

"If you say bros, I WILL stab you."

He sighed. "Why are we talking about this? Don't you have Weiss to give 'the talk' to?"

She scoffed. "No, because Weiss is never going to have sex. One day she'll just reproduce asexually and give me adorable nieces."

He snorted. "There's a certain God of the seas that you might want a word with."

"What was that?" She snapped.

He coughed. "Aren't we supposed to be watching the team run through the exercise?"

She hummed. "Good choice."

They sat in silence as the minutes passed, watching the team infiltrate the compound and angling towards the 'town hall.'

He looked over to Winter, who was watching with rapt concentration as Sam started to set a mock charge to breach against a wall.

She looked up at him, then back at Sam, then back to him.

 _Oh no._

"Jaune, you said you can use your Semblance to protect yourself, right?"

He groaned internally. "Yeah, I mean, theoretically, I can harden my Aura and use it like a shield."

She smiled and stood. "I have an idea."

"Nope."

"Nope?"

He shook his head. "I'm already not on board with whatever it is."

She scoffed. "You don't even know what I'm going to ask."

"I know it's bad."

"Well, you know what the fun part of you being in the military is?" She questioned.

He sighed. "What?"

"That I don't really have to ask. Get up."

He slowly climbed to his feet. "Do I need to write a will?"

"Stop being such a baby, you're serving your country."

"I'm not from Atlas."

"Details." She walked over to him, leaned close, then held a hand on his chest. "Now I want you to focus on being hard."

He looked down at her. "Phrasing?"

She scowled at him for a second, before Glyphs slowly started appearing around him, and she smirked. "Yeah, I'm definitely going to enjoy this."

* * *

The Fang lieutenant stood at the ready by the door, his rifle tried on the entrance.

Their spotter had called in the bullheads as they circled the outskirts of the village, and before his comm had gone dead, he'd been able to relay troop numbers to them. They'd distributed the firearms, they'd secured the doors, dimmed the lights to take advantage of their vision. He was ready, his team was ready, the Fang was ready for whatever was coming through that door.

Which is why the west wall exploding had caught them so off guard, they certainly hadn't been ready for THAT.

It happened so FAST. There had been a thunderous crash, followed by a blinding light entering the room, along with a hurricane of debris and a shock wave that sent them to the floor. His vision swam as he slowly pushed himself up onto his elbows, desperate to get a look at what hit them, at what had caused their carefully laid trap to fall apart. His eyes fell upon him.

He was a figure shrouded in a ethereal white glow, power radiating off him. He looked like a knight of legend, with his sword and shield held high as he surveyed the room, calm in his dominance. He was untouchable, he was unflappable, he was…

"Uh...hi?" The knight spoke.

….obviously not very good at this. He reached slowly for his rifle, ready to get the drop on this strange intruder.

A black boot stepped on the firearm, holding it firmly in place. His eyes trailed up a strangely unclad leg to a pink skirt and an orange haired girl holding a...was that a _warhammer?_ The pinkete waved at him happily.

"Hello again!"

"Hi?" He tried weakly, before he looked over to see if the rest of his team was fairing any better. They were not.

"Now, I know that you might be tempted to reach for your weapons," a boy in green with dark hair explained, his weapons trained on them, "but I assure you that the rumors of Atlesian prison have been greatly exaggerated. Please stand down."

"Or don't." A slim Atlesian soldier announced as he walked through the blown out wall. "I'm not going to be too broken up about it either way."

Then he saw her, and his breath caught in his chest. Winter Schnee, the same Winter Schnee that carried a fifty thousand lien bounty on her head, a hundred if you could take her alive. He had to admit, even though she was an enemy, he could tell that she carried a presence with her, an easy authority that...

"I _told_ you it work." She taunted.

Or not.

The knight scoffed. "Nothing worked, you just threw me at a wall!"

"And did the wall stay there? No it did not. I call that a win. Just look at all the prisoners we took."

He was regretting not dying with honor more and more.

A large Atlesian soldier nodded towards the blond. "You gotta admit, it's pretty cool."

The knight rolled his eyes. "Stevens, you think anything that ends in a explosion is cool."

The pinkete standing above him clapped her hands excitedly. "And he's right! Set'em back up, let's do it again!"

 _Wait, what?_

The boy in green sighed. "Nora, we aren't lining the terrorist back up."

"Freedom fighters." He corrected, before a series of stares cowed him again.

The big one, Stevens he thought, spoke again. "Anyway, you should be excited Spec. Now you can get a cool new nickname, like Breach, or Battering Ram Officer."

"Stevens are you just trying to find new ways to call me BRO?"

"Pssh, nooooo."

He coughed, drawing the attention of most of the eyes in the room, and held out his hands. "Can...can you please just arrest us already?"

* * *

Jaune sighed. Another day passed, and again, nothing of particular note happened. Sure, it had been nice to come back from another successful mission and brag to Yang a bit. Hey, he was riding a little high, sue him, but they still were stuck in that Goddamn building with a crowd of people. And now, here he was, bored out of-

Winter's boot caught him in the chest, sending him to the floor.

He sputtered and coughed as he slowly pushed himself back up off the floor.

"In case you didn't notice, we're sparring." She chastised him.

"Oh, are we? It's just that you hit so soft, I-" He barely pulled out of the way of the kick she sent his way, attempting to lunge forward into the opening. She caught his blade on her own, sending it to the side as she stepped around him.

"That's more like it." She smirked. "Now, let's see if you can actually hit me."

He grunted, throwing himself forward, thrusting his shield forward to push her back. His sword swept low, aiming for her legs, but she danced back, throwing a strike at him that he caught on his shield, throwing it to the side. His next blow cut from shoulder to hip, which she parried again.

 _Gotcha!_ He thought excitedly, bringing his shield around to her unprotected side.

His growled as she hopped back, avoiding the strike before trusting back at him with her saber, driving him onto the back foot. His sword swept from left to right, but met with steel again as she kicked his knee out from under him, stumbling him. He surged back to his feet, ready to strike back, only to feel the telltale tickle of her smaller blade against his neck.

"How do you always draw that without me noticing?" He complained.

She tsked. "A lady keeps her secrets, Jaune."

"I thought a lady was supposed to be teaching me?"

She smiled. "I suppose I am. Why can't you hit me then?"

"Years of experience? Private tutors? A crippling-"

She shoved him. "It's because you never feint Jaune. You've gotten better at working your shield and sword in tandem, but I know when you're going to strike."

He sighed. "And I suppose you can teach me?"

She raised an eyebrow. "If you can stop being a baby, yes."

"I'm not-"

"Shut up. Jaune, being a good feinter, hell, being a good fighter, is about being a good liar."

He tilted his head to the side. "How so?"

She hummed. "We're always lying in the ring. I'm lying to you about how dangerous I am, how tired I am, if I'm hurt or not. I'm constantly trying to feed you false information, because it influences how you fight. By overwhelming you with offense, real or not, I improve my defense. Feinting is the the art of being able to sell your opponent on a strike that's not coming, so they miss the strike that is. It's the art of lying, and I'm a very good liar Jaune."

He laughed and shrugged. "The Arcs aren't really known for their dishonesty."

"Really? Cause lying can be fun...and effective." She stepped back and spread her arms. "Watch me a try to block."

She slowly began to circle with him, her stance relaxed and loose. He watched her eyes as they trailed over him, searching for a weakness. He jerked forward as she locked in on his leg and flinched, ready to catch her low strike.

The jab caught him squarely in the nose.

"Sonuvabitch!"

"Where were you looking?" She asked calmly.

"Your eyes!" He snapped.

She tsked. "The eyes lie Jaune. I can look anywhere I like, but that doesn't mean that's where I'm going." She smirked. "Now where do _you_ want to look?"

"Your arms?" He tried.

"My body Jaune, you want to watch my body." She began to circle again. "Keep your eyes locked on my body Jaune, listen to what it's telling you." Her hand twitched, and he flinched. "Now, now, don't be so eagar. Watch me, get a feel for me. Just relax." She admonished.

He reset himself, shaking out his limbs, and she nodded. "Good, now, keep your eyes on my body." She smirked as he colored. "I can tell you any number of things with my eyes, with my voice, with my face, but what is my body telling you Jaune?"

"Uh-"

Her shoulder twitched as she began a strike, and his shield rose to meet it.

"Good! You're reading my body, listening to what it's telling you. You must be a natural." She purred. "But what if we try something else?" She leaned forward, throwing a strike towards his head that he parried, before stepping back.

She shook her head. "Why'd you retreat?"

He scowled. "You were attacking. Pressuring me."

"Was I? Where are my hips?"

"W-what?" He stammered.

She sighed. "My hips Jaune, they'll tell you where I'm going. If I'm leaning forward, and leaving my hips back, there's no real attack, no real commitment. But, if I bring my hips forward…" She stepped towards him, bringing them a hand's width apart, forcing him onto the back foot. "Then you know I'm committed, that I'm serious about this. My hips don't lie."

He swallowed. "Ok, so watch your hips, got it."

"No Jaune," she stepped forward again, driving him back. "I want you to watch my hips _and_ my body. It's important." She whispered, stepping in again. He stumbled backwards, his feet catching on the edge of the mat and sending him to floor. "Well, that, and watching your step." She smirked.

He coughed. "I think I got it."

She leaned over him, eyes boring into his. "Do you Jaune? Show me how good a liar you are." Her smile widened. "Do you find me attractive?"

His mouth worked soundlessly for a moment. "I-I...no!"

Her scroll beeped, breaking the spell, and she shook her head sadly. "Really? That's too bad, cause I always thought you were kinda cute. Oh well." She turned on her heel, walking her way towards the entrance of the gym, leaving a very confused blond in her wake.

It hit him like a train. "Wait! You're lying!" He accused.

She pumped an arm in the air. "He's getting it!"

He growled as he chased after her. "Was this about the 'one of the guys' thing?"

She scoffed. "As if I'd ever be that petty." She shot him a sideways glance. "Also, you're a terrible liar."

He glared at her. "You're the worst."

She hummed as she pushed through the door of the gym. "Am I though? Here I am, helping you out of the goodness of my heart, and you slander me."

He rolled his eyes. "I forget that you and Weiss are related."

"Yes, we both have discerning taste."

It took him a moment to catch the insinuation. "Oh, ha ha Winter. " He shot back, sarcasm thick on his voice, before he grinned evilly. "I suppose that your taste are more of the avian variety? I could tell him you're interested, you know?"

He ducked under the lazy swipe she sent his way.

"Brat." She growled. "And I here I was. going to share some valuable information with you."

"Yeah, like what?"

She pointed towards the skyline in the direction of the Alert facility, where a pair of bullheads were slowly descending.

"Looks like RWBY's coming back." He commented, shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand.

She nodded. "Must have been Grimm, or we would have been notified." She said before glancing at him. "Jaune, did you know that they have to restock and reload the bullheads after Grimm extermination missions like that?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense."

"They don't really have to have to have the whole team for Grimm debriefs either, just the team lead…"

He shot her an annoyed look. "I remember. I do listen to what you say, you know."

She tsked. "I really don't think you do. Jaune, it can take twenty to thirty minutes to restock and refuel those bullheads and teams. Minutes where the team CAN'T go back out."

He turned on her. "What's with the logistics lesson, I thought we've already been through all this. I get it."

She rolled her eyes, and rounded on him. "You are impossible! Fine, let me dumb it down for you." She grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him, staring him in the eyes. "You are man!" She grabbed his face and twisted in back to the incoming bullheads. "She Wo-man! You both free. You go now!"

He forehead knit together as he watched the incoming aircraft prepare to land. "What the he-"

It clicked, and he yelped as he tore off towards the bullhead, legs pumping for all they were worth. He heard Winter say something like, 'don't fuck this up,' behind him and thought about how Yang would have appreciated the opportunity for a pun.

He whipped through the Beowolves' camp, earning a few shouts of surprise and an excited, 'my boy,' from Stevens, before a hand caught him arm. He spun to spot Ren, and opened his mouth to explain that he didn't have time, before the ninja cut him off.

"Transient tents. Northeast corner."

He nodded and changed direction, tearing off again in the direction Ren pointed, weaving around tents and people as he went, before finally catching sight of a familiar crop of orange hair waving at him. He came to a halt in front of her.

"Where?" He panted, eyes wide.

She laughed and pointed a thumb at the tent behind her. "Inside. Here." She pressed a small package into his hand.

He scowled in confusion. "Where did you-"

She just smirked. "I'm the best wingman. Now go!" She cried, as she pushed him through the tent's entrance.

Blue eyes met lilac. She was already half out of her pants and panting as hard as he was.

"You're beautiful, a special rose, whatever the hell you need to hear baby! Let's go!"

He didn't need to be told twice.

* * *

 **Omake**

 **Double or Nothing?**

She leaned over him, eyes boring into his. "Do you Jaune? Show me how good a liar you are." Her smile widened. "Do you find me attractive?"

His mouth worked soundlessly for a moment. "I-"

"WHAT THE FUCK!?"

Two sets of eyes whipped around to find a VERY upset Yang standing at the edge of the training mat.

"Y-yang! It's not what it looks like!" He cried.

 _Gods that's a bad line!_ He winced internally.

"C-chief was supposed to text me when you were coming back!" Winter stammered out.

 _Holy shit, that sounds so much worse!_

"So this is what it's come to?" The blonde growled, her eyes burning red.

"Yang, please-" He started.

"Arrrggghhhh! Fine!" She snapped. "I had our third picked out, but whatever! You and your weird thing for girls with daddy issues."

"What!?"

"Girls with mommy issues too apparently." Winter mumbled.

 _You're not helping!_

Yang ignored them, turning back to the entrance and yelling. "Blake! You're off standby!"

"I never agreed to anything!" They heard a voice call back.

Yang scoffed, shaking her head sadly at them. "Poor thing's all broken up about it. Trying to put up a strong front."

Jaune looked between the two. "I'm so lost."

Yang clapped her hands together. "Right! Ground rules! No 'I love yous' between the two of you, I'm not kissing her, and Jaune sleeps somewhere else tonight."

Winter shrugged. "Seems reasonable."

"W-what!?" Jaune sputtered.

Yang high-fived Winter. "Ok, go team!"

* * *

 **Alternate Chapter Titles: My boy gets laid - JJD sneaks 'Analogies' into 'Fighting Smart' - Winter's Hips Don't Lie...we really could go on all day here folks.**

 **JJD: Shorter chapter this week folks. Sorry about that, but it's been a busy couple of weeks. We're moving into the second half of the story, so expect things to start moving a little bit faster and the chapters to start getting a bit more dense. What comes along with that is that my writing will probably slow down.**

 **Note: Probably didn't help myself by starting up 'A Monster's Marriage,' but...I have very little self-control, so that's a story that exist now.**

 **Fight Nerd Corner: Feinting! Boy oh boy, is this something that will make or break you. Feinting is the act of gathering information on your opponent while feeding them false information. This is especially critical against counter fighters, like...let's say Adam. If I fake a strike at a counter fighter, then I can observe their response, without putting myself in danger. Further, they now have to wonder if the next strike is going to be real or fake. Best case scenario, they start putting themselves out of position, reacting to strikes that aren't coming. But even if they don't, I can start to figure out how they want to counter, and devise my own counter to that. Layers on layers son.**

 **So, let's say Yang doesn't charge straight in next time she fights Adam, but starts mixing in feints, gun play, and real punches. Suddenly, Adam has a lot more to react to. Suddenly, Adam's reaction time starts to drop, because he's thinking about it, rather than just being able to react. She's overloading his defense with information. Or not...guess we'll never know.**


	11. Gangs

**Cr00cy is a miracle worker**

 **Chapter 10**

 **Gangs**

* * *

 **W.S. Quote Book Says: "** Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned." - Gautama Buddha

 **W.S. Playlist Says:** Am I insane? Who really knows?  
'Cause any second my temper can fucking blow  
I get colder than December  
Black the fuck out, tomorrow won't even remember - Bizarre, D12, 'American Psycho II'

* * *

Today a was good day, Jaune decided. Sure, he was back in the Alert facility, but yesterday had happened, and that made it worth it.

Yeah, he was a pretty big fan of yesterday.

There was something that he wasn't a huge fan of however...the knowing looks that Ren and Chief were sending him.

He sighed. "What?"

Chief smirked. "Well…"

"We just felt entitled to a status report." Ren finished, far too proud of himself in Jaune's opinion.

"Do you now?"

His friend joined Chief in the 'smirking like an asshole,' club. "Well, we did a lot of the legwork."

"Speaking of which, how are your legs working Spec?" Chief asked, earning him a high five from Ren.

Jaune rolled his eyes. "Is this really necessary?"

"Yes." The two answered in unison, sending them into a wave of laughter.

"Well, I'm glad you two are entertained. But seriously...thank you."

Chief Zane gave him a warm smile. "Anything for a fellow Beowolf. You might want to hold off on the thank yous though, you got a new nickname out of the ordeal."

Jaune stilled. "What is it?"

Ren snorted. "BRO, I'll let you guess who thought of it."

He let out a sigh of relief. "Ok, that's not that-"

"It stands for Booty Ramming Officer." Chief informed him.

"Goddammit." He groaned as his head hit the table.

"It could always be worse." The older man comforted him.

"Can it?"

"I shot down some worse options." Ren confirmed.

"Thanks." Jaune said, tilting his head to look across the room. "At least I'm not the only one being interrogated."

Ren followed his leader's gaze to Winter and Weiss, sitting alone off to the side of the room.

"What did you tell her?" He asked.

"Probably more than I should have."

* * *

"I don't see how it's any of your business!" Weiss said defensively.

Winter tsked. "How can it not be my business!"

"Because you're not dating him!" She half-shouted.

"Are you? Where is this Neptune?"

The younger girl huffed. "Well, he WAS attending Haven, but I think that's out the window."

"Has he written or called?"

"Where would he send the letter? The CCT is down!"

Winter coughed, her eyes shifting around the room as she lowered her voice. "Will you at least tell me how far you've gone?"

"NO! Why do you need to know!?"

"Because I care!"

Weiss sighed. "Winter, that's sweet, but you're not mom - thank the Gods, and Neptune isn't someone that I need you to protect me from."

Winter winced as she ran a hand through her hair. "I know that, but I can't help it. I don't know anything about this boy."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "You act like he's got some deep dark past, like Blake with Adam and the Fang-"

The young Huntress cut off as Winter stilled, a chill suddenly falling over the conversation.

"What did you just say?" The older girl whispered.

"I-"

"Adam, of the White Fang? She was with the Fang and THE Adam?"

"Winny, it's not what you think!" She rushed out.

"Isn't it? There's not really a lot of ways to interpret that Weiss." She said as she stood.

"Winter please don't-"

"Belladonna!" The Specialist thundered across the room. "Let's step outside."

The room fell into silence as the faunus girl looked over her book, confusion and concern on her face. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know, why don't you tell me?" She growled.

"Winter, she's our teammate!" Weiss pleaded.

Blake's eyes narrowed. "What are you accusing me of?"

"You know damn well what you are." Winter hissed.

"Yes, I do." She responded, finding her feet.

"Where is he?" The older woman hissed.

"Where is who?"

"Don't play with me Belladonna, you won't like where it goes. Where is your man?"

The girl's eyes narrowed. "He's not my anything."

"Then tell me where he is." She demanded, before tilting her head to the side. "Or are we still feeling loyal?"

"I'm loyal to my friends." The black haired girl growled back, her hand twitching.

"Do it. I'm begging you. Reach for anything."

"Winter!" Qrow roared as he made his way across the room. "This isn't the time or the-"

She rounded on him. "Don't you dare try to act like the reasonable adult now you drunk bastard. You're right, now's not the time. When you brought her here was the time. Do you think we would have been so welcoming if we knew?"

He didn't back down. "Jimmy brought us in. That should be enough for you."

She stared him down. "I you really believed that, then it wouldn't be a secret, now would it?"

"How about you leave my team to me, and I'll leave yours to you?"

"Because one of my teams is dead, courtesy of the Fang."

Blake winced as she heard the accusation. "I-"

"That wasn't her." Qrow cut in. "Winter, I know what you're feel-"

She jabbed a finger into his face. "Don't tell me what I'm feeling! Not when you knew! When you chose not to tell me!"

His shoulders slumped. "And why do you think I didn't?"

Her eyes narrowed. "So, we're back to this? You're still the same man you were back then."

"Maybe I am. Prove to me you're not the same little girl."

Her face contorted in a snarl. "You son of a-"

Flashing red lights, and the wailing of alarms cut her off.

"I think that's your cue." He said slowly.

"Where not done here." She hissed.

"No, I imagine we aren't."

She rounded on the room. "Beowolves! Stop staring like idiots and get moving, we're behind our launch time!" She called, before storming off towards the briefing room, carrying her team in tow.

Qrow looked to Blake. "You ok kid?"

The dark haired girl's eyes found the floor. "Yeah, I guess."

Weiss darted over to the girl. "Blake, I'm so sorry."

She shook her head. "It's not your fault. Besides, she's not wrong."

The white haired girl scoffed. "About this she is."

"Is she though? You barely trusted me when you found out, and we were just at school together."

"And that was a mistake."

"We let Adam go Weiss." She half whispered.

Her friend looked at her in confusion. "What? Blake what are you talking about?"

The faunus girl took a deep breath. "We had him down Weiss, on the ropes, and when he ran...we just let him go." She winced. "We thought he was done, we thought that we had more important things to do."

"And you did." Her gaze whipped over to her partner as Yang continued. "The way I heard it, you got to Haven just in time to save Ruby." She put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a small smile. "You saved my little sister, and you couldn't have known. Besides, how would I be able to forgive you if took him down, and I didn't get a crack at the bastard?" She asked, flexing her metal arm.

"Yang..." She stared. "You know how dangerous he is."

Ruby gave her a smile as she joined her sister. "I've heard a rumor that we're not so bad ourselves."

"Guys, I…" She couldn't quite finish.

"Feels good to be on a team again, huh?" Yang asked.

"...Yeah."

* * *

Jaune was sure that they'd had a briefing, but he hardly remembered anything, it was a blur. Telling them that they'd be dealing with a sizable encroachment of Grimm that were getting too close to the border towns. He'd tried to listen, tried to absorb as much as he could, be he could only focus on one thing, the same thing that he was focusing on now.

Winter was pissed.

She'd been silent for the entire affair, only instructing them to move to the bullheads, and allowing Stevens to run the teams through their equipment checks. He'd offered to link with her, but she'd said she didn't need it. Didn't want it was more like it. She was out to prove something, but to who, he couldn't guess.

He'd ended up linking with Nora, just to link with _someone_. That'd been different. The girl was pure energy. He'd felt like he'd chugged an energy drink. He'd felt warm, he'd felt concern for the team, he'd felt the color pink. He'd also felt longing...he'd have to talk to Ren about that later.

But for now, he had to get Winter out of whatever head space she'd put herself in.

"Winter-"

He felt a hand come down on his shoulder, and turned to see Stevens shaking his head. They'd seen this Winter before apparently.

"Bro, we got this. Peter's the man when it comes to Grimm. Let the First do her job, you won't be disappointed."

He frowned at that. That wasn't how this was supposed to work, but then, they didn't have time to sort it out.

"Peter, how do you usually set up for this?" He asked.

The rabbit faunus nodded and keyed his mike. "We set up a firing line. You Specs engage them around thirty meters out, give us some breathing room for setting up and falling back. The bullhead will hit'em from behind with their guns. If you can keep them boxed in, this should be pretty fast. Everyone remember, these are Grimm, they've got bone plating and thick hides, so when you feel like you've put enough in them, put a few more in for good measure. Specs, you're going to have a lot of bullets flying by your head, but you're just going to have to trust us. We've got you."

"Roger that." Jaune spoke into the mike, staring pointedly at Winter. She ignored him.

"We're coming in." The pilot spoke over the intercom. "Looks like they're gathered at the treeline."

Jaune looked out the window, taking in the dark shapes that were forming at the edge of the forest, somewhere between 100 and 120 meters away from the main village, tearing into the remnants of an abandoned logging camp.

"Wait until they've cleared the treeline." He jumped as he heard her speak over the comms. "You've only got a few passes, so let's make them count. Set down by the village itself."

"You got it First." The pilot confirmed.

He turned and saw her staring him down.

"You back with us?" He asked.

"Never went anywhere. You were doing ok...mostly."

He nodded and tightened his grip on Crocea Mors as he felt the craft start to dip, bringing them down towards the soon to be battleground.

He leapt out of the aircraft's open doors as soon as they lowered to the ground, shouting for Ren and Nora to make their way as far toward the treeline as they can as the Grimm surged forth from it like a black tide, eager to sweep away all before it. Glowing, white Beowolves fly past him as his legs pump for all their worth, taking up positions on the flanks, and howling at their black brethren. Nora leaps over him, whooping and hollering as she lets the new power run through her, boosting her to levels of speed that even Ren can't match.

Then, Winter shows them all what speed is, rocketing past them all, both blades drawn, propelled on her glyphs. He can hear Peter calling to form their line behind them as Winter slams into the Grimm like a comet, sending Beowolves and Boartusks alike flying. There is no yell, no battle cry, but Jaune can _feel_ the intensity coming off the young woman. Her saber cuts through the throat of the first Beowolf, her smaller blade ramming home into the eye of a second one, before she sends its fading corpse flying backwards into its companions with a glyph. A back swing of her sword disembowels an Ursa as glowing white birds flow off her, ripping into the surrounding Grimm.

The staccato crack of rifle fire tears him from his spell, and the fire team's rounds began whizzing over his head and shoulders, slamming into the Grimm lines with frightening accuracy. He catches up with Ren as the boy slowed to form with him before they hit the Grimm wave. The last thing he sees before they are enveloped is the sight of Nora, cackling and super-charged, bowling Beowolves and Ursa alike aside as her Warhammer seemingly disintegrated them the the moment she struck.

Then, it's all black. The first Beowolf loses its teeth as he slams his shield into its roaring maw, followed shortly after by its head as his blade bites into its neck. Ren surged over his shoulder as he completed the swing, already pouring bullets into the next opponent. Jaune spun, forcing his back to his friend and ensuring the ninja could go about his bloody work without fear of interruption. The first challenger to their new status quo is a giant Ursa, one that he might have feared once. Now, he catches the beast's swipe on his shield and darts in, sliding along the beast's arm until he buries his blade into its chest, before ripping it free. He and Ren move in tandem, each instinctually aware of where the other would be, as knives replace sword, and shield replaces guns in a dark dance routine born out of countless hours of practice. He no longer thinks about where he should be, how his feet should be positioned, he simply moves with his brother, fighting to get underneath Ursa arms and Beowolf chins. Fighting mean.

A voice in his ear breaks him from the chaos.

" _Spec, they're breaking past you, we're going to call in the first bullhead strafe."_

He broke free from the battle long enough to shoot a glance backwards at the backs of the Grimm marching towards their line, their team. There are several of them, but not enough of a mass to waste a pass of the bullhead on.

"Wait!" He shouted into the mike. "Nora, get to me! Thunder Storm!"

He didn't have to wait long. A Beowolf a few meters to his left roared at him in fury, coiling upon itself and preparing to strike, before exploding in a rain of black ichor. A grinning Nora stood in its place.

"You called?"

He braced his shield against his shoulder as she sprinted at him, leaping onto the sheet of metal with a laugh as he threw her upwards, watching and listening as the whooped and hollered all the way to her apex. She turned in the air, her Warhammer shifting to its grenade launching form, and took aim at the line of Grimm closing with their own. He wasn't sure what he was expecting an Aura boosted Nora's assault to be like, but on reflection, he probably could have guessed.

It was loud. It was bright. It was damn effective.

Explosions bloomed along the wave of Grimm as Nora's grenades found their marks, creating a wall of fire between the soldiers and the Grimm. Magnhild hit the ground with a force of of a lightning bolt. There was mighty thunderclap, earth shook, causing both humans and Grimm to stumble. When Jaune regained his balance and looked up, it was to find the pink girl skipping happily towards him, shattered earth the only trace left of Grimm she just obliterated.

" _Holy shit."_ He could hear Stevens whisper over the radio.

" _Foehammer, I'm about to give you your shot."_ Winter cut in.

" _Roger that ma'am. I'm coming around."_ The bullhead pilot confirmed, as Jaune watched as the aircraft peel around in an arc.

" _Jaune, you're going to hit them after the pass."_

"Got it." He confirmed. "How are you setting up the shot?"

Silence has his answer, but his eyes found her in the fray. She was in the thick of it, blades flashing as Grimm dropped all around her. She weaved under an Ursa's angry swipe, blade cutting through the tendons in its arm, before finding its throat. A Beowolf leapt at her, but one of glowing white met it, the two tearing into each other as Winter flipped her blade and drove it into the ground.

It was certainly the biggest glyph that he'd ever seen, but that was far from what was most impressive about the display. The ground around Winter erupted in glowing white birds as the Grimm closed in, separating her from the horde. They didn't stop there though. The stream of avians continued to pour forth, like a winding river they coursed around the Grimm, pushing them back and together. The woman herself was a veritable star, glowing bright enough that it hurt to look at. It was majestic, it was awe inspiring...

All the while till she collapsed, her form falling limply to the earth.

"NOW!" He shouted into the mike, his legs already carrying him to her. Gods she was close too close to the Grimm. How much Aura did she have left? He heard the sound of the guns spooling up as the bullhead closed, and the redoubled his efforts, sprinting across the distance that remained between them.

 _Come on, come on, come on._ He chanted in his head, as twenty meters became ten, ten became five. He slid the last part of the stretch to her, raising his shield up and tucking as much of them as he could under it as he listened to the guns roar to life, and the rockets tear themselves from their pods as they flew downwards toward the tightly packed Grimm horde.

The heat from the explosions rolled over and around them, as the _thump, thump, thump_ of the rounds impacting became a _ting_ when they reached his shield, pressing it down into him. He let out a sigh of relief as he heard the bullhead engines whine as it climbed back into the sky, lowering his shield to view the damage.

It was devastation. There were quickly fading parts of Grimm everywhere, some still hobbled around the newly torn asunder landscape, missing said limbs. There were a few however, that still remained intact, and turned their gaze towards the two. He hefted his sword, and stood over the fallen Specialist, ready for the oncoming assault.

He needn't have bothered. Ren leapt over his shoulder guns alight as he charged forward, a blur of pink and white hot on his heels, her hammer at the ready. He jumped when he felt a hand grab his shoulder, almost turning to attack the owner, before hearing a familiar voice.

"Spec, you two ok?" Stevens asked.

Gods but his legs felt heavy. "…Yeah, I think so."

"You're crazy as fuck, you know that? The both of you." Peter informed him from his left.

"Love you too Peter."

Stevens tsked. "Pete, help the Spec hobble back to the town, I've got the first." He nodded to the three standing behind him. "Sam, Rob, back up the other Specs. How's she looking Rick?"

Jaune's gaze fell on the be-speckled man looking over Winter, who nodded back to Stevens.

"She's good, just exhaustion."

"Then let's move."

Jaune watched as the large man threw Winter over his shoulder and felt Peter come up beside him. He spared one last glance towards Ren and Nora, mopping up the last of the Grimm with a cool efficiency, before allowing himself to be led back towards the landing bullhead.

He'd been fast enough this time, but just barely.

* * *

He didn't feel too bad about sleeping on the way back, using Sam's shoulder as a pillow. He'd had a rough day.

He roused when she poked him in the face as they landed, saying that she wasn't looking to get involved in his weird love life. The first thing that he noticed after stuttering his way through an apology was that Winter was back up and about. The second thing was that she still seemed pissed.

 _Good, this'll be fun._ He thought sarcastically.

The doors to the bullhead dropped to the ground, and as they shuffled out and into the briefing room, Jaune took note of the lack of anyone else in the building, save Chief Zane and the intel team. The debriefing went quickly, more so than usual, as Winter spat quick and clipped answers at the team, making sure that they knew her patience was shot. When they finally called it, satisfied with their account of the mission, she immediately made eyes for the door before Chief spoke up.

"I need everyone out of the briefing room but the First. I don't care where in the facility you go, but it's not going to be here." The faunus declared, earning a glare from the Specialist.

Jaune let out a long sigh as he watched the team file out, nodding to Ren and Nora as he took his seat.

"That means you too Spec." Chief said.

He shook his head. "She's my partner, I'm not going anywhere."

The older man eyed him for a moment, something between respect and appreciation warring on his face, before snorting.

"I suppose you are. Fine, just know that nothing said here leaves this room."

"Where is she Zane?" Winter cut in, tired of being ignored.

"Away from you, till you get a hold of yourself."

She tsked. "Did you know? Did she tell you what she is?"

"What she was." He corrected.

"Yeah, how long ago? Who's to say she isn't still working with them?"

He sighed. "First, you're hurting because we lost a team. You're letting it get in the way of your better judgement. That girl made a mistake, and now she's paying for it."

She balked at that. "Made a mistake? She's a damn terrorist! She was with Adam!" She spat.

"She WAS a terrorist. She got scared, and getting scared made her dumb. It happens to all of us." He explained tiredly.

"Bullshit." She growled.

"Yeah?" He challenged. "You didn't get scared and run away from your father to join the military?"

Her eyes narrowed. "That was different."

He stepped toward her. "You're right, because you don't understand what she was facing."

"I know what it's like to be treated differently, I have been for my whole life!" She shot back.

"Because people have been holding doors open for you, not slamming them in your face!" He spat back, causing the young Huntress to step back. He didn't stop.

"You don't think that I don't feel it? That I didn't feel it everyday growing up, wondering who was going to treat me like a person and who wasn't?"

"It's not like that-"

"It is like that! Goddammit Winter, I know how close you and the General are, but he failed. Faunus are still second class citizens, just like we've always been. I know that hurts to hear, but it's the damn truth." He roared.

"That's not his-"

"I didn't say that it was his fault! I just said it was the truth. We were promised that we would be equals if we took part in the revolution, and so we did. But you know what? Politics happened, and equality didn't. We wanted to be citizens, and instead, we're just faunus." He spat the last word out like a curse.

Her eyes didn't meet his, firmly locked onto the floor. "I never-" She swallowed. "I've never thought about you any differently." She whispered.

He sighed. "I know Winter, I know, but you don't think I was scared? You don't think hearing that a Schnee was going to be my new officer made me terrified? You don't think that I was worried for me, for Peter? You don't think I get scared every time one of my girls goes out, wondering if they're going to get caught up in between a rally and security forces? I don't know if you've noticed, but they're not always so picky on which faunus they knock around."

"But you didn't let your fear drive you into a gang." She challenged.

He laughed humorlessly. "Of course I did! I joined the biggest, baddest gang I could find! The one that promised the most protection that I could find for my family. The only difference is, my uniform looks a little bit nicer."

"We're not the same! We're not a gang, we stand for something!" She snapped, rage back in place.

He nodded. "We do, it's why I stayed...even with the looks that my faunus neighbors give me when they see me in uniform. It's because I believe in it. That girl? She believes too, it's why she left."

"It doesn't change what she was."

"It doesn't." He agreed. "And I'm trying to make sure it doesn't change who you are. You're Winter Schnee, the best Spec that I've ever worked for. One, that against all odds and her upbringing, learned to see shades of grey. Right now though? You're only seeing red, and it's going to make you hurt someone. That girl or yourself."

"I just want to keep the team safe." She pleaded.

"I know, it's what I love about you." He comforted. "But that girl's part of the team now, and lashing out at her isn't going to bring the old team back." He swallowed. "And I know that hurts, but I need you to be the Spec that I know can rise above this." He put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a small smile. "I'm asking you to be as strong as I know you are."

She let out a shuddering breath after a moment. "I'm gonna need some time Chief."

He nodded. "Take all you need First." He shot Jaune a glance. "She's all yours Spec, take care of her."

Jaune watched as the man turned and walked towards the door, closing it firmly behind him as he left. His gaze wandered over to Winter, her eyes still fixed on the floor.

"You ok?" He asked.

"No."

"You want to talk about it?"

"Not really Jaune."

He let out a slow breath. "I do."

"I don't recall asking if you did."

He scoffed. "Yeah, you did. You did when you zoned out during the mission, when you didn't link with me, when you passed out in the middle of a Grimm horde."

She turned away. "I thank you for your assistance, but I never asked for your-"

"Exactly!" He shouted. "You didn't ask! We were right there. I was right there, and you batted my hand away." He swallowed. "You think you're the only one to lose people Winter? I've already lost a partner, I'm not about to lose another because she's trying to prove something. Especially when she won't tell me what."

She eyed him. "What makes you think that I'm trying to prove anything?"

He snorted. "Cause I'm not blind? Winter, I saw how upset you got when you were talking to Qrow. That wasn't just about Blake." He shook his head. "What the hell happened between you two?"

She tsked. "I know he's your friend-"

"You're my friend, you dumb ice princess!"

"Don't call me that!" She snapped.

He pointed. "There! That! What the hell is that shit! Chief's good at this wisdom stuff Winter, but I'm not. I'm not wise, I'm not smart, I'm not particularly brave. But I can listen." He sighed. "Now please, I'm asking you as a friend. Tell me what's wrong."

She looked away again. "It's childish."

"Maybe, maybe not, but it's still bothering you."

She sighed. "I don't suppose you'll let me out of this room till I tell you."

He chuckled. "I mean, I'll TRY to stop you. We'll see how that goes."

She met his eyes, considering him for a moment before nodding. "How much do you know about my family?"

He winced. "I hear your dad's a piece of work."

"He's a monster." She corrected. "And a powerful one. One that's so powerful in fact, that almost all of Atlas is under his thumb." She wrapped her arms around herself. "All I wanted growing up was a way out of his grasp, but no one would dare cross my father. No one could afford to be in the bad graces of the SDC in Atlas."

It clicked. "No one but Ironwood."

She nodded. "I met him at one of my father's galas. I was trying to hide away from the crowd, but he found me in the practice room, where I wasn't supposed to be, training." She shook her head. "I just heard someone clapping, and almost fell over myself in a panic. He just laughed and offered me a job." She chuckled. "I thought he was making fun of me. I was so young, so inexperienced...but I said yes. The next day, a car showed up at the house."

He tried to phrase it as carefully as he could. "You don't think that-"

"Of course it was a power play." She cut him off. "My father and the General had been wrestling for power since the revolution. But...it was more than that too. I wasn't just a piece on a board to him, a trophy daughter to seen and not heard. I was someone, I was Winter." She gave him a small smile. "He treated me the same as anyone else, let me make my own way. It's all I ever wanted."

He nodded. "He seems like a good man."

"He's been like a father to me Jaune." She sighed. "I'm not blind, I can see the flaws. I know that the critics are right, at least partially. That reintegration of the faunus and Loyalist didn't go like he wanted. That the Fang is at least partially our fault." Her breath hitched. "But they don't get to see that it KILLS him. He cares Jaune. He cares in a way that I'm not sure you're supposed to that high up in the ranks."

"Winter.."

"So, how does that connect to Qrow?" She cut him off. "Well, I managed to work myself up to First, one of the fastest ever. I earned that." She emphasized. "And so I got to accompany the General to meet with a certain headmaster, who was traveling with a member of the legendary team STRQ."

Jaune winced, starting to connect the dots. "Qrow."

She hummed. "You guessed it. I was so excited, he was like a superhero to me Jaune." She laughed. "Do you know what the first thing he did when he saw the General was?"

He knew it probably wasn't good.

"Asked him if he'd gotten the chance to slap around any faunus on the way to the meeting."

 _Yeah, not a shining moment, Qrow._

She shook her head. "The General shrugged it off, but I was incensed. I knew that it hurt."

"What did you do?" He asked.

"I got mad. I got in his face."

He winced. This story didn't end well.

"He laughed me off, asked me if I liked this new sugar daddy better than the old one."

"That doesn't sound like-"

"He was drunk."

He grimaced. THAT did sound Qrow.

"What happened next?"

"We fought. I lost. Badly." She scowled. "He didn't let me forget it either. Told me that 'no one cares who your daddy is in the real world.'" She laughed bitterly. "He didn't know how many levels that hurt on. Of course people cared who my father was, it was the one thing I couldn't escape. I was the only one that didn't want people to care, but…"

"There was one of your heroes, telling you that it was the only thing he saw when he looked at you."

"...yes."

"Winter, I'm sorry." He struggled for the words. "Qrow's an asshole sometimes, but he's-"

"A decent man, I know." She sighed. "I told you it was childish."

He shook his head. "It's not. I'm shocked you can be in the same room as the guy. He's a good friend, but that's some terrible shit to say." He winced. "Knowing him, he actually probably-"

"Doesn't remember? I doubt he does, but I think he still sees me as a Schnee first, and a Huntress second. It hurts, even if it doesn't seem like it should. I don't expect him to apologize, but don't expect us to get along either."

He sighed. "Gods you're both stubborn."

"If we could NOT compare me to Qrow in this moment, that would be great."

He laughed. "No, you're one of the best Huntresses I know. Maybe THE best, but it doesn't have anything to do with Qrow."

"...Thank you. You're better than you think you are, by the way. Better than you allow yourself to believe you are."

He smiled. "I've had a few good teachers."

She snorted. "Flatterer." She winced. "Jaune, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"Don't worry about it." He cut her off. "Just let us help next time. We're all on the same team."

She flashed him a smile. "I suppose we are. When did you become so clear headed?"

He smirked. "Well, my team saw that I was in a rut, so they decided that I needed to get-"

"I don't need the soride details, thank you." She snapped, without any real venom.

They glared at each other for a moment, before the grins broke through, and they both broke down in laughter.

She wiped a tear away from her eye. "Well?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Well what?"

She rolled her eyes. "Was it good?"

He mock balked. "A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell."

She snorted. "Which is why I didn't ask one."

"You're as bad as Blake, you know that?"

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not."

He laughed. "It's-"

The alarms blared and the lights flashed within the facility.

Jaune frowned, he'd never heard that pitch of the alarm before. Col Markus' voice coming over the entire base's announcement system a moment later told him why.

" _Attention, this is a call for all hands. All teams report to the bullhead docks immediately. The town of Banner is under attack. This is not a drill. I repeat, Banner is falling."_

* * *

 **OMAKE**

 **Showdown**

Qrow and Winter stared each other down. Both could feel the tension in the room as they slowly circled each other.

"Winter, you need to back off." He growled.

"Not till I get the answers that I want." She snapped back.

"Don't do this. You don't want this fight." He warned.

"Oh, but I do."

He sighed. "Fine. Peter, give us a beat."

"That's super racist man." The faunus complained.

"That is kinda fucked up." Stevens agreed. "I'm the beatbox guy."

"Stevens, shut up and do the thing!" Winter shouted.

"Ok, ok. Geez." He mumbled, before launching into a slow, steady beat.

Winter bobbed her head up and down in time with the sound, waited till she had its feel before launching her assault.

 _You really think a dusty old Qrow can match my flow?_

 _I hope you haven't eatin, cause you're about to receive a beatin, then I'm serving up a heaping portion of you, for true_

The older man tisked, firing back his rebuttal.

 _You act all cold, but you know you wanna be the one I hold_

 _You act like my hair is thinning, but you know all I'm doin' is winning._

 _It's in my damn name, how you think I earned all this fame?_

She snorted.

 _Keep up that lame flirting and you're going to be hurtin'_

 _You're far too old to try to be so bold_

 _I heard you once had some fame, but this is no longer your game_

 _You were the black mark on team stark_

 _Now you're a has-been that's been trying to get with Ren._

Ren blinked in confusion. "Wait, I-"

Jaune put a hand on his shoulder. "Just let it go man. They're doing a thing."

 _That's rich coming from the ice-bitch._

 _I had to earn my spot, wasn't born winning the jackpot_

 _But you wouldn't know, always been a part of daddy's little show._

Blake slowly looked between the two, before turning to her partner.

"Yang, what the hell is going on?"

The blond sighed and shrugged.

"I think Qrow's defending your honor?"

Winter continued, undeterred.

 _You try to get me mad by bringing up my dad, but why would I want to be a Schnee when I can just be me?_

 _Unlike the SDC, I'll fuck you up for free_

 _I'm a Spec, I demand respect_

 _You're a glorified babysitter that could stand to be fitter_

He reeled backwards under the assault before steadying himself.

 _It's true, what you say about my crew_

 _They may be young, but you're bout to be sorry you swung_

 _Y_ _ou're bottom rung, but I got a silver tongue_

 _I may be old as fuck, but I still hit like a truck_

She tsked.

 _I'm class, you're crass_

 _You think you're some kinda point man, but I don't think you get the point, man_

 _This is bad, you're so sad, that you're making my icy heart melt, So let me give you some help_

 _Here on Atlas' borders I'm bout to give you some marching orders_

 _Ten-hut, I need you to shut the fuck up_

* * *

 **JJD: Further down the rabbit hole we go! Things got a little heated between the teams. Not entirely surprising, given Blake's past and the nature of the mission. Tempers flare, people say things they shouldn't, such is life. People are human, and that means they make mistakes. Just remember…**

 **Pobody's Nerfect.**


	12. Collateral Damage

**Cr00cy is still tolerating me for some reason**

 **Chapter 11**

 **Collateral Damage**

* * *

 **W.S. Quote Book Says:** Sure I am of this, that you have only to endure to conquer. **\- Winston Churchill**

 **W.S. Playlist Says:** 'Cause sometimes you just feel tired, you feel weak  
And when you feel weak you feel like you want to just give up  
But you gotta search within you, you gotta find that inner strength  
And just pull that shit out of you and get that motivation to not give up  
And not be a quitter, no matter how bad you want to just fall flat on your face and collapse - **Eminem, 'Till I Collapse'**

* * *

The alarms blared around them, and Jaune stood in shock. It couldn't be happening, not again, not so soon.

Winter, fortunately, was not affected by his affliction.

"Jaune, we've got to move!" She shouted at him, pushing through him and opening the door.

"Yeah…" He muttered, shaking his head to wake himself. They had a job to do.

"Beowolves!" Winter shouted as she hit the common room. "Gather you gear and let's move! As much ammo and supplies as you can carry...this is going to be bad."

Flashes of Vale and Anthem filled his vision. She didn't know how true that was.

He felt a hand fall on him, and looked up to see Nora giving him a concerned look.

"You ready?" She asked, concern clear in her voice.

He took a deep breath, then let it out.

"Yeah, let's move."

The rest was chaos, the entire camp was like an anthill that had been kicked over, an explosion of activity and yelling, as soldiers ran to a fro, trying to get ready to deploy as alarms blared over it all. He saw a flash of gold and red as they moved toward the bullheads, and recognized team RWBY starting their own scramble for supplies and transport. They must have been on their way to visit when it started. Good, they wouldn't be far behind.

He weaved his way through the crowd of humanity as they made their way toward their bullhead, the refueling truck already being pulled away from it. Then he saw him.

He caught sight of him trying to duck behind a team of soldiers making their way towards the bullheads at a run.

"Nope, no fucking way Oscar!" He shouted at the boy.

The tan boy stumbled out into the open and stared at him definitely.

"They called for everyone."

"Everyone doesn't include underage kids."

The boy scoffed. "I can fight! I fought at Haven."

"Yeah? Well, I didn't know that we were going to be fighting at Haven, or you would've sat that one out too." Jaune shot back.

"I've got the professor!"

"Do you? Where's he been Oscar? Been a whole lot less Ozpin running around recently. How much did he use up at Haven?"

Oscar tsked. "He'd protect me if I was in trouble."

Jaune stared the boy down. "I hope so Oscar, I really do. But, I'm going to make sure you don't get in trouble. You're staying here."

"It's not fair!"

"Of course it isn't! That's not the point! The point is that I can't watch you get hurt out there. Not when I can stop it." He snapped.

The boy shook his head slowly. "I'll get on another bullhead, Jaune. You're going to have to hurt me to stop me." He lowered his voice and looked at the ground. "I can't stay here while that village is burning. Please don't ask me to."

The blond ran a hand through his hair as he looked around at the quickly filling bullheads.

"Spec, we gotta go!" Stevens shouted from behind him.

He looked back to the boy. "Damn it. You're my shadow, you understand that?"

Oscar's face split in a grin. "Yes!"

"I fucking mean it Oscar, where I go, you go. Don't leave my sight."

The tan boy rolled his eyes. "Yes dad. Now, can we go fight Grimm?"

"Get on the damn bullhead, smartass." Jaune snapped, pushing the boy in front of him. "Also, I'm telling Qrow."

"What!? No, that wasn't part of the deal!" Oscar sputtered.

"As your temporary father figure, I'm altering the deal."

* * *

Winter stared him down from across the bullhead.

"I know!" He shouted across the hold.

She tsked. "If you know, then why is he here?" She asked, looking towards Oscar, who shuffled nervously, the object of more than a few stares on the bullhead.

"We called for everyone." He tried.

 _I can't believe I'm stealing his excuse._

"Everyone doesn't refer to pre-teens, Jaune!"

The boy held up a finger. "Actually, I'm-"

"Not the time Oscar!" Jaune cut him off. "Listen Winter, he's got his Aura unlocked. I've seen him fight, he can help keep the Grimm off the guys."

She made a face. "I don't like it."

"Not a huge fan either, but I need you to trust me on this one."

She met his eyes, scanning for something there, before nodding.

"Ok Jaune.."

"Thanks, I-"

"But to clear, I'll have your ass if this goes south."

He laughed. "I thought that was just our unspoken understanding at this point."

She grunted. "Our agreement is that I tell you what to do, and you salute smartly."

"I'm amazed you think I'm going to do anything smartly."

"Specs, if you don't mind." Zane cut in, sending Winter a small smile.

She nodded. "Stevens, where do we sit?"

The muscular man spoke to the hold. "We grabbed everything from the spare kits as we stepped, so we should be fully loaded." He ran a hand over his close cropped hair. "If the reports that we're getting are anywhere close to accurate though, we're going to run through it pretty fast."

"What are we hearing?" She asked.

"Class-3 incursion, plus an assault by the Fang, spurring it on. Numbers unknown."

"How are we looking on fuel and ammo for the bullhead?"

Stevens leaned around her and shouted up towards the cockpit. "What we got, Jeremy?"

The pilot's voice crackled over their comms. _"Not much. We got part of a refuel going before the call went out, so we've got enough gas to get us there, but I can't hang around station. Not that I'd do you much good, I'm empty for weapons."_

"So, we're on our own after you drop us off?" Winter confirmed.

" _We'll be back for you First. You just gotta give me time to refuel and reload. Where do you want me to set you down?"_

Winter looked over to Zane and Peter. "I haven't been here, where are we going?"

The two faunus discussed it for a moment, before nodding in agreement.

"The town square." Zane answered. "It's one of the only places big enough for us to set down inside the city, and if we can get another few teams there, we can hold it as we evac the civilians."

Winter turned back to the pilot. "You get all that?"

" _Roger that, ma'am. I'm passing the message on to the other bullheads. We'll get you as much support there as we can."_

She thanked him, then looked to Peter again. "How many civilians are we talking?"

The young man winced. "It's going to be bad, we're talking at least a few thousand."

"Shit."

"Yeah."

"Ricky, how many can you treat?" She asked the medic.

He shook his head. "I've got enough kit to stabilize about a dozen. After that? We're going to have to get inventive."

"Ok, I want-"

" _Ma'am."_ The pilot's voice cut in. _"I've got new intel coming in."_

"What is it?"

" _One of the advance bullheads just positively ID'd Ferdinand in the village. It's Taurus ma'am."_

A quiet fell over the bullhead's hold.

"Winter-" Jaune started.

"Where?"

The pilot paused. _"They're telling me he's on the east side, near the markets. They marked the spot on the the targeting network, but there's too much anti-air to get close."_

"I can get there." She declared.

"You can't be serious." Jaune growled. "You JUST passed out. You've got no back-up, we're-"

"Jaune." She cut him off. "This is what we're here for. If we can get Adam, if we can cut the head off the snake, all this folds. He's the last legitimate leader this section of the Fang has left. I'm the only one that can get there. With my glyphs, I can get in close, and that's all I need."

"You're tired and alone! You want this too much." He argued again.

"Jaune, look at me." She said slowly. "Do I look angry?"

His eyes scanned over her features, searching for the woman who'd been with them on their last mission, all passion and pride.

"That's not fair, you know I'm terrible at reading women."

She smirked. "You are, but you know me. I'm telling you the truth Jaune. I might not come back, but if I can pull this off, it's worth it."

"Bullshit!"

"Yeah? Then give me some luck." She held out her hand.

He stared at it like it was a snake. "I'm not losing another partner."

Her eyes found his. "I need you to trust me, Jaune. Do you trust me?"

"I do…"

"Then believe in me."

He could feel it, the terror of sending her off into a burning city alone, his thoughts on another falling city, another two incredible women who were impossibly strong. One who came back scarred, one who didn't come back at all. He could also see the determination in her eyes, and he knew that she was right, he knew what had to be done.

"Dammit Winter." He growled as he grasped her hand. "I've got a condition, and you're not going to like it."

"Fair is fair...thank you, Jaune."

"Just come back, Ok?"

She smiled at him. "I promise."

They linked. He felt the emotions rip across the void. Determination. Worry for the team. Gratitude. Fear. Anger. And white…

Always white.

* * *

 _Take care of them._

The words echoed in his head over and over again. They'd been the last words she'd spoken to him as she left the bullhead, rocketing away as she flew from one glyph to the next above the burning cityscape.

 _Take care of them._

It sounded way too much like a goodbye...he was tired of goodbyes.

He shook his head to clear the thoughts as the bullhead came around, revealing the ruined village again. The small, tightly clustered homes that they had weaved through to on their last visit had made excellent pitch for the fire. The village burned. He could smell it burning, and all the horrible sensations and thoughts of what that meant that came with it.

He could see it too, the hundreds of black forms that flowed through the streets, slamming into hastily made barricades, and running down the smaller, slower forms. He could make out the grey and white of the more organized shapes, finding all the choke points and sealing them off with gunfire, dooming those that ran.

But most of all, he could hear it. The noises assaulted his ears. The steady crack of gunfire. The growls and roars and shrieks of the Grimm. And the screams.

Gods, the screams. He swore that he could almost make out the individual ones. Here a woman, here an old man, here a child-

"Spec!"

He turned a looked to the voice that roused him, Zane.

"We go on you!"

Two hands found his shoulders, and he saw his family smiling back at him. Ren and Nora were with him, Oscar smiled nervously from across the hold. He nodded back to them.

He had a job to do.

He keyed the comm. "We're going to jump in and clear the LZ. You circle once, then come in for the landing. Try to keep an eye out for pockets of civilians."

"What the hell do you mean, ju-"

That was the last he heard as they leapt from the open doors of the bullhead. Nora and Ren to his left and right, and Oscar, as promised, right behind him.

They fell, the cobblestone of the courtyard rushing up to meet them, as a collection of Beowolves and Ursa looked up in confusion. He pumped Aura into legs, bracing for impact as they slammed home, throwing up rocks and debris up in their wake. There was no time to think, only time to move.

 _Take care of them._

"Ren, Nora, clear out the area behind us. Oscar and I got this way."

"Aye, aye BRO!" The pinkete shot back, before taking off, a smiling ninja in tow.

"I think I liked FL better." He grumbled, before turning to Oscar. "You ok?"

The boy brandished his cane with a flourish. "I'm ready."

"Then let's go!" He cried, as he pushed off the broken earth, lunging towards the first Beowolf in his path. Its growl of fury became a howl of pain, as its claws skidded off his shield, and his sword cut deep into its thigh, collapsing it to the ground. The edge of his shield cut off its cries a moment later.

Oscar covered his flank with an unnatural grace for a boy his age, his cane jabbing forth into the Beowolf before him at lightning speeds, finding eyes, lungs, and throat. But still, he could see the hesitation in the footwork, the uncertainty of when and where to strike the final blow. All of which meant he could still see Oscar, and so Oscar had to be protected.

He slammed into the side of Beowolf, his blade finding a space between its ribs that he drove up and into, only pulling back when he felt it shudder and still. He looked Oscar, eyes wide and knuckles white as he gripped the cane.

"Oscar, you with me?"

The boy swallowed and adjusted his grip. "...yeah."

He nodded and jerked his head towards an Usra that was lumbering towards them, pushing over the town square's fountain as it came.

"Good, cause I'm not so good at this. I was hoping you'd do the heavy lifting."

Oscar snorted at that. "Well, I guess one of us has to."

Oscar was with him.

He stalked towards the Ursa, or maybe it stalked towards him, he was never sure anymore. He moved straight in, drawing the beast's attention, along with its fangs and claws. He saw Oscar moving to the side, and charged forward, yelling to draw the Ursa's attention to him and him alone. The Ursa's claw slammed down into him, pressing his shield into his shoulder and his feet down into the ground. The stones crunched beneath his boots, as his blade shot forward to catch the creature's maw as it snapped out for him. He wrestled with the giant for a moment, until he heard the sound he'd been waiting for, the 'crunch' of Oscar's cane crushing the monster's kneecap.

It roaring in pain and fury as it collapsed to its side, sending the boy skittering away. His sword drove downwards, and he twisted, feeling, more than hearing, the pop of its spinal column separating. He wrenched the blade free, and looked up, spotting two more Beowolves, down on all fours, slinking into the town square.

"Oscar we need to-"

A series of ear-splitting 'cracks' cut him off, as bullets whizzed around them and found their homes it the hides of the Beowolves, forcing the creatures into a macabre dance before falling to the ground.

"Fucking Specs." Stevens offered from behind him.

"Crazier than a fox." Peter agreed.

"Ok, now I'm almost certain that's racist." Jaune shot back.

"I'll educate you later. Where do you want us?"

Jaune quickly scanned over the square, taking in the many streets that led towards the open area. Too many streets, this was going to be rough.

"We're going to need a way out of here." He decided.

"You want us to keep a landing zone open?" Stevens asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, keep it wide enough for the evacuees too. I hope that there's going to be a lot of them. We'll try to catch the Grimm as they're coming out of the side streets, but…"

"No promises, got it." The big man agreed.

"Oscar, I want you back with them. Whatever makes it past us, you're our last line before they get to the team. Can I trust you with that?"

The boy nodded confidently. "Nothing will get through."

"Good. Chief!" Jaune called out to the faunus. "I need you to handle comms, we'll be too engaged-"

Peter's rifle spoke as he started engaging a Beowolf crawling on a rooftop, Stevens joining him an instant later, till the creature tumbled from its perch.

"-Like that. We'll need to coordinate the other teams coming in!"

"Roger that Spec. Eyes front!" Zane called back.

Jaune whipped around, spotting the gang of Beowolves and Ursa storming their way in from the side streets. He heard Peter and Stevens calling to set up the firing line, to create interlocking fields of fire to catch them in.

 _Take care of them._

He shifted his grip on Crocea Mors, and let out his own battle cry to match the beasts'. Then, he charged into the black tide once again.

* * *

The wind roared in her ears as Winter skirted across the rooftops of the town, using her glyphs to bounce from one building to another, to quick and too fierce to be stopped.

There were those that tried, Fang and Grimm alike, but they quickly fell silent as her blade flicked out. She was always amazed at the rush of the link, the raw surge of power that it provided her. She could summon untold numbers of phantom Grimm to fight by her side, she could use glyphs with impunity, she felt invincible. She was the light, she was a Goddess.

She was a Goddess on a timeline. She could still feel the weight of the previous engagement slowly seep through her high, could feel its effects on Jaune too. She needed to find Adam. She needed to end this.

She reached the targeting point, and halted herself with a booming glyph. Her eyes searching for any sign of the red haired terrorist.

 _Dammit, where is he?_

"What the fuck was that?" She heard a voice call from a few streets over.

 _Well, that seems like a good as place as any to start._

She vaulted over the buildings separating her from the voice, and landed amongst two Fang members. The first reached for his weapon, and he, and it clattered to the ground, where they remained. The second showed considerably more restraint, throwing his hands into the air.

"Where's Adam?" She hissed.

The White Fang grunt swallowed. "Please, I-"

Her blade pressed against his throat.

"Where. Is. Adam?" She explained slowly, carefully.

"Right here, Specialist Schnee." A voice called from behind her.

"Oh thank the-" Was as far as the grunt in front of her got, before the pommel of her saber sent him to the ground in a heap. She turned and took in the familiar crop of red hair, and the warrior standing at the head of the street, a team of his soldiers around him.

"Adam."

He chuckled. "Specialist Schnee. I admit, I had hoped to find you at some point, to get the pleasure of cutting you down. To send that message to the people of Atlas. But I never expected that you'd deliver yourself like this."

She snorted. "Well, the Atlas military prides itself on efficiency. Why wait for you to make the mistake of attacking us, when we can come find you ourselves?"

He hummed as his hand stroked his blade. "How's that been working out for you?"

"It's about to be going a lot better, when I remove your tongue from your head."

He tsked. "Such a Schnee, always trying to silence the oppressed."

Her grip tightened on her blade. "Says the man standing in a burning city."

"Collateral damage. I'm sure you understand, working for Ironwood."

"If only you were half as good a man as he is, I might not have to kill you."

"That's your problem, wanting us to be like you. Wanting us to be weak. Well, I have the strength to finish what he could not. I will cleanse Atlas." He growled.

"Funny, I feel the same way." She answered coldly.

He snorted. "You were a fool to come here Schnee." He said, as his soldiers fanned out, and Winter summoned two glowing white Beowolves. "Oh, I know all about your little Semblance, but these are MY soldiers, they've had their Aura unlocked. How long do you think your pets will last? You came here alone, and you will die alone."

She sighed, shoulders slumping. "Unfortunately, I didn't. My partner insisted on it."

"What are you chattering on abou-"

A blur crashed into the warrior closest to her, carrying him into the wall of a nearby home, where his shout was silence by a wet snap.

"That the guy that hurt my niece?"

"Yes."

"Damn, he looks like an asshole."

"I suppose you'd know."

Qrow grinned. "Yeah, I guess I would."

* * *

The Beowolf clamped down on his sword arm, causing Jaune to cry out as Aura crushed against flesh and bone.

"Fuck!" He growled, as he gouged his thumb into the beast's open red eye, eliciting a shriek of pain as it released his arm. He kicked out, his boot catching the underside of its chin and sending it reeling back. Rounds impacted the creature's chest a moment later, dropping it.

"You ok Spec?" Sam called out.

"You kidding Sam?" He panted, flexing his arm as he watched the next wave of Grimm make their way down one of the many streets leading towards the square, lumbering after a petite brown-eyed girl running towards their makeshift barricade. "I'm talking to a pretty lady in the middle of town. You know how many times I dreamed about this as a kid?"

"You're dumb." She informed him. "But it's a good kinda dumb."

"How are our civilians?" He asked, as the pink-eyed girl ran past. He didn't dare to look back towards the huddled mass of men, women, and children - human and faunus, waiting for salvation.

"They're good, fall back for a bit."

"Not on your life Sam."

The horde picked up speed as it covered the ground between them. Devouring the space with wide, smooth strides.

"Alright, come on you bastards." He whispered to himself, setting his feet and swearing not to give ground.

"Fuck, we've got a wave on BRO's side." He vaguely heard Rob call out, as the rounds started to race past him and slam into the black mass.

The wave broke upon him, and he was in the midst of a flailing tornado of limbs and teeth, striking out with his sword and his shield again and again, feeling them bite and cleave into the beasts as they bit and clawed into him. He could almost hear something in his ear.

" _Firebrand. Town square, bring them-"_

His blade rammed upward into the underside of a Beowolves jaw, driving through the top of its skull. A pair of claws raked against his side, not quite breaking his Aura, but almost certainly bruising the flesh there.

" _Drop those motherfuckers. I need them now."_

The Ursa bit into his shield, shaking its head violently, and trying to rip the piece of metal from his arm. He cracked the pommel of his sword down on the beast, screaming something unintelligible at it as he tried to cave in its skull. He saw two small round objects soar over the Ursa's back, and braced himself. The explosion ripped into the Grimm, and tore him from his feet, sending him onto his back.

" _-They're inbound. Impact in five, four-"_

 _Holy shit, were they bombing them!? They had civilians down here!_

He pushed himself, looking at the tide of Grimm closing on them.

 _I've got to-_

The bomb impacted, blowing away the Grimm in front of him, blinding him, and driving the breath from his lungs. Somehow, miraculously, he stayed unscathed. He found his feet, and rubbed his eyes as he looked towards the epicenter of the blast. It smiled back at him.

"Did you miss me?"

He grinned. "Is it too late to change my religion to Yang-ism?"

She whipped her hair back. "It's never too late to make the right decision. I will say, I think the knight's supposed to save the lady every now and again."

"I think you've got issues counting Bright-Eyes, I've got at least one. Besides, have you met me?"

"I have, and I approve...so far. I only date winners after all." She teased.

"You're both adorable." Sam called out. "But can we kill Grimm first, flirt later?"

"She's got a point." He said.

She tsked. "You're just used to letting women tell you what to do."

"That's very true. Speaking of, where's Ruby?"

The red-head appeared at their side in an explosion of petals and red.

"What's the plan Jaune? Where are you guys at?"

He sighed and looked around.

"Honestly Rubes? We're not going to be able to go find civilians, we're too busy holding down here. You guys are faster than us. If you can guide people here, and leave your shooters with us, we'll keep to LZ clear for the bullheads."

"Got it. You sure you're good?" She asked, taking in his battered arm.

"Yeah, I'm good. How are Ren and Nora?"

She snorted. "Nora's miffed that she's out of grenades. Ren's getting that way on ammo. They're both fine though."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I think we're all lower than we'd like to be."

"Except you." Yang said, clinking her gauntlet off his sword. "No need to reload, huh?"

He gave her a tired smile. "Yeah, but I'm starting to see the appeal of the ranged option. Now, go get those people here." He said, swatting at her behind with the flat of his blade.

"You're not trying to survive today, huh?" She shot back with a smile.

"One thing at a time Bright-Eyes." He answered as the two girls took off, grabbing Weiss and Blake on their way.

He looked back at their combined teams, seeing Robin and Stevens pointing and talking as they directed men and women back and forth, restructuring their defenses. Ricky and the Ursa's medic tended to the wounded, reduced to using belts and straps and tourniquets, marking the casualties as they went, establishing a triage system. He caught Oscar's eye, the boy holding up a wounded man and helping him drink. They nodded to each other.

 _Take care of them._

The roar of Grimm reached his ears.

* * *

Her blade reached out for his throat, and he stepped back, just out of reach. His own blade shot up in protest, cleaving the air where she'd just been, as he circled off the wall she'd been backing him into.

 _Ok, upon reflection, Jaune might have had a point about trying to take on Adam and all his soldiers alone._ Not that he needed to know that.

She could hear Qrow clashing with the remaining three, grunting and swinging like a savage. An effective savage, she had to admit. The first two of Adam's troop to fall certainly hadn't understood the ferocity or brutality of the assault till it was over for them. The others were more careful now, on the lookout for 'cheap' shots and blinding attacks.

She shifted her focus back to her own dance partner, his blade held low and ready. He was a counter fighter, and a damn good one. He liked for you to come to him, to over-extend, then he'd strike like a viper. She supposed there was some irony to be found there, given his bull attributes, but she was too tired to think on it.

She'd had success so far throwing out feints and mixing up her attacks, always giving the man different looks. But, there had been more than a few narrow misses.

Her arm twitched, and her blade moved towards the man in black. He shifted accordingly, changing his stance in anticipation. Her left hand shot out instead, flinging a ghostly white bird towards his face, forcing him to jerk back in surprise. Her blade lashed out in earnest, catching on the dark swordman's own, before her boot slammed into his kneecap, driving him back with a grunt. She continued her assault, pressing forward with her saber, digging into his defenses, looking for a weakness. The man stumbled backwards, he was weak, he was vulnerable, he was hers. She was certain of it.

Her certainty almost cost her her life, as Wilt snapped into her field of view, Adam's finger squeezing on the trigger. Her short blade digging into the the side of the shotgun and driving it up was the only thing that saved her as the weapon spoke, sending pellets flying into the air.

They leapt back, resetting as they circled with each other.

"A hidden blade, that was dirty." He commented, casually falling back into stance.

"So you're saying that it fits you then? If you'd stay still, I'll find a place for it."

He hummed. "I'm sure, but I doubt you'll get the chance. I'm getting closer to removing that pretty little head of yours. I wonder how your father will react when I send it to him?"

She tsked. "Probably not going to be as big a deal as you're hoping honestly."

He tilted his head to the side. "Really? Then perhaps I should send him your sister's as well."

She lunged forward, lashing out with her blade. The man stepped back and to the side, letting the blade pass by his face, practically scraping along his mask, before stepping back in, angling his sword towards her unguarded ribs. She saw her mistake, knew her Aura wouldn't hold, it would break, and she would break along with it.

She activated her glyph, and it propelled her backwards with the force of a cannon. She slammed into the wall behind her, crashing through the flimsy wood structure and coming to a stop among the tables and chairs of the small inn she barreled through.

All in all, she'd describe the affair as...undignified.

"Are you alive in there Schnee?" A voice called out to her.

 _Yes, and mad as hell._ But then, that was the problem, wasn't it? She'd gotten mad, and she'd overextended.

"I'm coming for you Schnee."

 _Time to change things up._

Two phantom Beowolves crashed through the hole in the wall, eliciting a yelp from the man outside.

She'd fight on her terms, not his. Now the only question was…

 _Why was she so damn tired?_

* * *

 _What the fuck?_

He knew that he was tired from the day's previous events, but this was ridiculous. He couldn't believe how exhausted he was.

His arms felt like lead, his legs like jelly, his breath come in ragged gasps.

Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

The Alpha Ursa's roar of challenge roused him from his thoughts.

He'd have time to think about that later.

"Peter, how we looking?" He asked into the mic as the beast started lumbering towards him, a titan of black and white.

" _Well, the good news it that your girl and her team keep bringing in the survivors."_

"And the bad news?"

The beast began picking up speed, building from a trot to a run.

" _The bullheads aren't coming fast enough. We're getting refugees in faster than we can get them out. Then there's the shitty news…"_

"Hit me with it Pete."

He could swear he could smell the monster, as the saliva flew from its maw as it roared again.

" _...We're running low on bullets Spec."_

"Fuck."

" _Yeah."_

It was the last thing he got out of his mouth before the Grimm crashed into him, causing his feet to dig trenches into the ground as it pushed him back. He could hear the scraping of the fangs against his shield. He pushed up on the beast maw, forcing himself in and under its chin. Gods, but it felt like it weighed as much as a mountain. The creature searched for him with its claws, as he fought his way towards its belly, trying to wrap him in a deadly embrace.

 _There!_

The beast reared up in anger and frustration, and he lunged the final distance forward, driving its blade into its belly. He began dragging the blade across its softer flesh, starting to disembowel the Grimm. He felt the limbs of the giant encircle him, crushing him against its open wound. He struggled, lashing out with his blade in search of a fatal spot as it buried him in gore, in search of a way out, in search of air.

He was vaguely aware of something grabbing him, something pulling him back, beating the remaining life out of the Grimm. He gasped for air as his back hit the stone walkway. Oscar's golden eyes stared down at him.

"You ok?"

"Oscar…" He panted.

"Yeah, ok, dumb question."

" _Specs._ " Peter's voice crackled in their ears again. " _I'm seeing another set of civilians coming down the street."_

Jaune looked towards the direction where the Ursa had come, seeing a small boy, his rough cut brown hair flopping as he ran, and his mother bolting down the street, a pack of Beowolves hot on their heels. He dug his sword into street and forced himself up.

They weren't going to make it.

"Oscar, I'm going to need you hold the line."

"Jaune…" the boy started.

" _Spec, don't you dare. Those people are a few hundred meters away, I can't support you out there."_

He smiled at the boy. "You're the man, Oscar."

He started running. It was an impossible task, his feet were cinder blocks, clopping down onto the unforgiving stone. And yet he ran, closing as fast as he could, desperate to reach them.

" _Fuck!"_ He heard Peter curse.

The Beowolves were almost on them now, splitting to the right and left of the woman and her child, encircling them so they could move in for the kill. He was too slow, too far away. He could see the panic on their faces now, hear the woman yelling to her child, pleading with him to run faster.

She should have been pleading with HIM to run faster.

He was out of ideas, and more importantly, he was out of time. He acted in desperation, which he supposed, was nothing new to him. His shield sailed through the air as he hurled it, crashing into the face of the Beowolf closest to the child. It growled in protest, and locked eyes with him.

Good, he wouldn't make it wait.

He was amongst them, his sword cleaving into the outstretched arm of a Beowolf, removing it at the elbow. It didn't stop the monster from crashing into him, bowling him off his feet. He rolled, pushing himself up, and, dived back into the fray. They were nothing but a storm of limbs and teeth, claws and blade, fist and bone.

He heard a scream.

There was blood, the boy was bleeding, how or why he didn't know.

He drove his sword downward into a Grimm's chest, turning to try to reach the boy, before a clawed hand drug him to the ground. He spun to face his dark captor, as it pulled itself up onto him, fangs bared and ready, slowly closing around his head.

A 'crack' sounded as the beast's eye exploded in a spray of blood and ichor. Twice more, blood spewed forth as new holes were punched into the monster's face. He saw a helmet come into his field of vision.

"I'm going to fucking kill you! Oscar, you got the civies?" Peter yelled, before sending rounds down the street till his rifle clicked, allowing it to drop to his side as he pulled his pistol, using the other hand to pull Jaune to his feet.

"Let's fucking move, Spec!" He demanded before firing again.

Again he was running, but this time in the direction of the square. He pulled up behind Oscar, the bleeding boy slung on his shoulder and the woman running alongside him, shielding them with his back.

The 'crack' of rifle fire streaking by them as they approached was sweet salvation, letting him know that they were close to some kind of safety. The continued on, till they collapsed upon the square's ground, Ricky tearing the boy away from an exhausted Oscar and a wailing mother as he started to treat the wounds. A piece of metal clanged to the ground next to him.

Crocea Mors' shield.

"I was fucking kidding when I was saying that you should throw shit."

He looked up at the man. "...Peter."

"We're getting you a gun. Don't put us in the position again Spec, I've got a wife and kid I'd like to see too." He spat on the ground. " And don't give me that, 'you didn't have to follow me' crap either, you're a part of the team."

He stopped and thanked Stevens as he passed over a magazine that he inserted in his rifle, chambering a round.

"That's the last of it bro."

"Rog." His gaze returned to Jaune. "All that being said...thanks for saving them."

Jaune coughed as he found his feet. "Sorry Pete."

The man tsked. "Don't worry about it, it's not like it can get much worse."

The introduction of gunfire coming into their position proved him wrong in short order.

* * *

This was bad.

She was slowing down. She knew she was slowing down, but worse, HE knew that she was slowing down.

Her head narrowly jerked back to avoid the tip of his blade slashing by her face. She was sure that she could beat him if she wasn't so damn tired, but she was, and so she was losing. She darted back again, parrying his next strike with her blade, using her shorter blade to shift his firearm away as it fired again, sending up a spray of earth and dust. She didn't manage to catch the boot that sent her reeling back as it slammed into her stomach, however.

"Getting slower, Schnee." The masked man stated.

The smug bastard. He'd been trying to bait her from the start, to draw her into to attacking recklessly, to provide him an opening. When she'd stopped, he'd waited for her to slow, using careful, low risk strikes to wear her down. From the sounds of the battle still raging around them, Qrow was still busy too.

She had to make him make a mistake, she had to make him open up, she had to make him...angry.

She sighed internally. Jaune could never know what she was about to do. She was sure she'd never live with the embarrassment.

"Maybe, or maybe you just bore me." She shot back.

"Hmm. I'm not one to disappoint."

She tsked. "The Belladonna girl would disagree."

He stilled. "What did you say?"

She smirked. "Come now, it's nothing to get so worked up about. Plenty of men suffer from performance-"

The space with which she avoided the next strike could have been measured in millimeters.

"Can't manage to find find the spot, huh? A common struggle."

He lunged forth again. "Shut your mouth!"

 _Oh, this was fun._

"Do you imagine that she's dating again? I can't be sure, but with so many handsome humans around…"

"She would never!" He growled, throwing a wild strike.

 _Almost there._

"Maybe you're right, maybe you've ruined her on men. She hangs around that blonde girl a lot. Perhaps I might even-"

He thrust forward, snarling, forcing her back, his blade slicing shallowly into her arm, drawing blood.

 _Got you._

Glyphs spun around the short blade in her left hand. She let herself continue to fall backwards, allowing him to over-extend himself, to open himself up. The blade shot forth from her hand like a missile, digging deep into right shoulder, sending an angry spurt of red blood upwards. He yelled as he fell back, clutching at the wound.

 _You're not going anywhere._

She surged back forward, thrusting at the man's head. Her sword closed, a hand away, a hair away. The Fang ended today.

A hand grasping her arm pulled her back, ripping her away from her victory, away from her peace...and out of the path of the bullet that sailed by where her head had been.

"I had him." She growled at Qrow, as he steadied her.

"It's pronounced, 'thank you.'" He informed her.

"I thought you had his goons."

He grunted and motioned at the multiple corpses around them.

"I did, for the first five or six. Turns out this is bring a friend to work day."

She huffed. "Then I suppose we'll have to cut through the rest."

He shook his head as more of the Fang soldiers filled in, moving Adam further away. Moving her prize further away.

"Winter, we're done here. There's too many of them, and I don't think that we've got many bullheads left out of here. This city is gone."

She knew he was right, she knew that staying was suicide. But, as she watched them dragging Adam away, all she could think about was the lives he had taken, the fact that he was weak, about HER men he had killed. Her grip tightened on the hilt of her blade.

"Winter…" Qrow pleaded, as he took another step back.

She let out a slow breath, and loosened her grip.

"Fine."

She'd promised after all.

They stepped back again as the Fang soldiers closed.

"Got any party favors for these assholes?" He asked.

She hummed. "I'm pretty spent. But, perhaps they'd enjoy this." She said, as the vial of Dust left her hand, slowly spinning through the air as it flew towards the Fang. He shot it at the apex of its arc, and the ensuing explosion rattled boards and shattered windows of the buildings all around them. They didn't wait around to see the aftermath, vaulting over rooftops towards the direction that bullheads were landing.

"Why do you even have Dust on you?"

"I'm the heiress of the SDC. Besides, it was for Nora, something about 'Crazy Thursdays.'"

"Ex-heiress. By the way, I'm so goddamn proud of you for that shit talk back there."

"Shut up, Qrow."

* * *

The Fang had hit them hard.

They hadn't been ready for the first volley of shots, which had cut down civilian and soldier alike. Ricky now worked to tend to the wounded alone, his fellow medic having been caught in the opening moments...and now there were plenty more to tend to.

The soldiers responded as best they could, given their limited supplies, picking their shots carefully as they engaged the Fang, and increasing their tempo as the bullheads landed and carried away casualties and civilians.

By far the worst part was that the Grimm hadn't stopped coming, and they seemed to flow around the Fang positions instead of engaging them. Wasn't that a mystery? But, it was a mystery for another day, as a fresh wave of the black monsters closed in on their position.

They weren't going to hold. Nora and Ren had run dry an hour ago. The team had almost nothing left. They needed RWBY, and they needed them now.

The rounds pinged off his shield as he hunkered down with Oscar near a pile of debris, waiting for the oncoming wave of Grimm to crash against them, to hold them as best they could, to buy time for the families gathering aboard the latest bullhead.

It hit them like a storm. nearly pushing them back with sheer weight of numbers alone. They held, how could they afford to not to? Sword and cane struck out alone, as bullets were reserved for the black and grey uniformed members firing from rooftops and open windows. Black limbs flew into the air freely, and yet still more came. Jaune tried to keep track of Oscar in the horde, but lost him almost immediately. Finally, mercifully, he found a break in the wave, an opportunity to breath. He turned and, to his horror, saw the black wave flowing past them, bearing down on the line of soldiers defending the landing zone.

Stevens took aim from his place on the line, firing again and again into the oncoming mass. One dropped, then another, but still they came on. The large man let his rifle drop to his side, as his father's sidearm fell into his hand, cracking as it sent rounds into the creatures. They closed the distance with terrifying speed, reaching out for the man, who stumbled backwards, silent curses on his lips.

A black blur delivered him from death's door. Blake was a whirlwind of blades and ribbons, as she cut her way through the horde in front of her. The 'boom' of a high caliber rifle and a glowing white knight cutting its bloody way through the crowd of monsters announced Ruby and Weiss. Now, he just needed to find the last member of the team…

An angry bellow from behind him announced the next wave, and he turned and ready his blade, shifting in front of an unstable Oscar. The Alpha Beowolf took a step towards them, before its chest exploded, covering the ground in front of them with black blood.

"We've got to stop meeting like this." An angel told him.

"Oscar…" He pleaded as he fell to a knee.

She was beside him in an instant, bracing him. "He's fine baby. Are you ok?"

"Something's...wrong." He panted.

"Where?" Worry etched her face as her hands traveled along his body, desperately searching for wounds.

He caught her hands, gently squeezing them, offering what meager comfort he could. "It's my Aura. Yang, we need you out there."

"YOU need me." She protested.

"They need us." He said, jerking his head back towards the families waiting for rescue. She bit her lower lip and nodded.

"Ok, promise me you'll be safe?"

He chuckled. "I don't think safe exist here."

"Then I'll make it safe." She promised, before flying off with a boom of her gauntlets towards a patch of Grimm that Ren and Nora were fighting, tearing into them like a hurricane.

"She's amazing." Oscar spoke from behind him.

He smiled. "Yeah, she is." He looked at the boy. "Let's fall back to the line, get these people out of here."

They hobbled their way back to the line, where he pushed through the soldiers and civilians till he reached Zane, hurriedly talking into a radio.

"Everything but the town square is fair game. Have them come in, strafe what they can, then pick up the civilians. Over."

"..."

"Load up those craft with ammo too, I'm out here. Over."

"..."

"I don't have that kinda time. Fuck! Bravo out!" He turned away in disgust, letting the radio fall by his side.

"How bad?" Jaune asked.

The faunus shook his head. "RWBY's buying us time, but we've got a non-stop flow of Grimm and Fang, we're going to wear down sooner rather than later, and I don't have enough bullheads. On top of that, I have no fucking clue where the Firsts are. We're holding out for a miracle here Spec."

A high pitched screech filled the air, threatening to pierce their ear drums. They turned their eyes skywards, and watched as a gigantic black cloud of Nevermore slowly circled, forming a funnel that began to spiral down towards the earth, just like they had at Anthem.

"Not that kinda miracle, Spec." Zane said, before holding the radio up to his face again. "Omega, this is Bravo. Call off those bullheads, they're going to get caught in this. We're done here. Out."

He dropped the radio to the ground and shouldered his rifle. "Jaune, it's been an honor."

The dark funnel continued its slow, inevitable descent.

He swallowed. "Yeah Zane, it has."

His eyes were drawn to a red blur, zig zagging through the Grimm and bullets on her way to town bell tower, the highest point in the village. He watched in rapt fascination as her Semblance and rifle rounds carried her up to its steeple. She stood defiant, staring into the sky, seemingly daring the Nevermore to attack.

 _Gods, what is she doing!?_

Then it happened. There was a flash of light, one that was impossibly bright, and a scream that seemed to echo throughout the entire town. When his vision returned, he saw two things.

One, was a torrent of Nevermore falling from the sky in a dark rain, slamming into roofs and homes, as their lifeless bodies faded.

The second, was a small, red form tumbling lifelessly down the side of the tower.

"YANG!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, hoping against hope that the girl would be fast enough. He let out a breath of relief as the yellow streak caught the girl just before she struck the unforgiving stone.

The remaining Grimm on the ground, the Fang, and the soldiers had all collectively frozen, seemingly in awe of the event.

Chief Zane broke the silence.

"What the fuck-"

Gunfire filled the air again, as the spell was broken, the Fang resuming their assault.

"Chief! Bullheads!" He cried.

"On it!" The man fumbled for the radio and keyed it. "Omega, this is Bravo. I need those bullheads! Over!"

"..."

"I know what I said, but the skies are clear! Over!"

He looked to Jaune. "Spec, you got anything left in the tank, now's the time."

The blond nodded and rolled his shoulders, looking towards the remaining Grimm. "I can't promise a miracle."

"Yeah, I think we only get one a day anyway."

"Sadly." Jaune quipped as he left the man to it, running, as best he could, back toward the line. He wasn't sure how much more he could do, but he'd be damned if he wasn't going to find out. He rushed past Stevens as he charged the Grimm.

"Spec, the Firsts are inbound. Buy us time!"

If only it was that easy.

He roared as he hit the Grimm line, cutting and bashing wherever he could find Grimm, which unfortunately, was everywhere he looked. He felt himself growing weak, felt his knees buckle, felt himself be pushed back. A claw caught him on the temple, breaking Aura and drawing blood. He drove his blade into the offending appendage, almost tripping over himself as he fell back. Someone took his place in the line, and he suddenly recognized the mane of gold blasting its way into the monstrosities. A hand touched his shoulder, and he turned to see an exhausted looking Ren and Nora smiling at him.

They moved as they always did, as a team, forming a box around the blonde berserker. Allowing her to continue her forward assault unabated. He didn't know for how long they kept slogging forward, but he knew each minute was another for a bullhead, another for the citizens of Banner.

He heard a cheer arise from the line, and tore his gaze away for a moment to see two tattered white and grey forms enter the fray. He grimaced.

 _They look like shit. We all look like shit._

The two forms started crashing into rooftops and through windows, trying to buy them some much needed relief from the constant small arms fire. Their forward slog slowly became a reverse death march, trying to make the Grimm pay for every inch as they were pushed back towards the line. He glanced backwards, and still saw civilians being loaded...far too many still being loaded.

 _Damn, all of that, and we're still not going to make it._

The cry of bullhead engines reached his ears, and he surged forward again. Maybe they could still get this one out.

As it turned out, it was a very different kind of bullhead.

Machine gun fire ripped into the line of Grimm in front of them, tearing them to pieces with a brutal efficiency. He jerked his head skyward, and saw three shapes falling towards the earth, a fourth leaning out of the bullhead door and raking the ground with what looking like a chain gun. The form that crashed to the ground closest to him was a giant in green, wielding a giant sword. Jaune's eyes widened.

 _No way._

Yatsuhashi stood up to his full height. "Little rabbit, Fox, let's give these fine people some support."

Gods, but no man had ever looked more beautiful.

The giant waded into the Grimm, strangely silent as his giant blade carved giant swaths through the monsters. They fell back before him, unable to withstand the pressure. A moment later, a strange, glowing blue chain gun joined the attack, clearing out the Grimm to either side of the giant.

 _When did she even get that?_

Fox joined in on the assault of the buildings, barreling through windows and doorways. eliciting shouts and gunfire wherever he went.

A familiar, feminine voice crackled over the radio. _"So, we gonna load up those bullheads, or what?"_

Winter's voice snapped back. _"Identify yourself immediately."_

" _We're 'Hunters of Hire,' warranty plus for fucking shit up. Did you want us to do something else?"_

" _Mercenaries."_ She growled. " _...continue to...do your thing. Cover the bullheads. We'll talk later."_

" _I can barely contain my excitement."_

Jaune shook his head, then started to chuckle, the burst out in laughter. It was just too absurd. Yang gave him a look, before cracking a smile, then joining him.

Nora leaned over to her partner. "Renny, I think they've lost it."

He hummed. "Then I suppose they've joined the rest of us. What say we get back to it?" He finished, pointing back to the Grimm.

"Yeah." Jaune said slowly, taking a deep breath and letting it out. "Let's."

They gathered around Yats and Velvet, securing the area around them and letting them press onward. He wasn't sure for how long the battle continued, but he remembered feeling like they could win, that they could last, for the first time in a long time. They crashed against the tide of Grimm for what felt like an eternity, the exhaustion weighing him down. He swung and he swung, until he felt a hand fall on his shoulder. He turned to tell them to go, to tell them to leave him, that he'd be fine, when Qrow shook him.

"Kid, last bullhead out. Let's get the fuck out of here."

He tried to run. He knew he should, there was too many Grimm and too much gunfire for him not too, but he just. Couldn't. Do it.

Qrow cursed before coming up under his arm, half carrying him the final stretch to the aircraft.

"Hey kid."

"Yeah, old man?"

"You did good out here."

He didn't know what to say to that, so he simply allowed himself to be passed to a waiting Yang, who drug him into the bullhead, moving him back into a corner of the impossibly crowded hold with her and Ruby. She held the smaller girl, and he held her.

It was the first thing that had felt right that day.

He watched with faint interest as Qrow threw someone else in the craft, jumping in right after.

"Sit the fuck down." He demanded.

He recognized the remains of the grey and white uniform, tattered as it was. Fang.

A new and frantic noise drew his attention. He turned his head to see Ricky and Peter frantically working on someone, applying pressure and shouting instructions to each other. He recognized the small frame, and recognizing broke his heart. It was the boy. The one that'd been caught by the Beowolf. The one he was too slow to save.

"Pete, I need Quick Clot!"

"We're out!"

"Fuck! He's fading! Pete, you got a pulse?"

"Nothing!"

"Start chest compressions!"

The two men worked with a panicked pace, desperately trying to revive the child, desperately trying to ignore the mother's wails for. Until, finally, excruciatingly, they stopped.

"...Pete, I'm calling it." Ricky pronounced, as he hung his head.

"FUCK!" The faunus cried as he shot up, burying his head in his hands. "...fuck."

A chuckle froze the hold, freezing the passengers in place. The Fang member shifted in his place on the floor.

"Another blow for the cause."

"What did you just fucking say?" Peter whispered.

"Pete." Stevens warned, slowly pushing himself up off the side of the bullhead.

The Fang member coughed. "You heard me, human."

Jaune was amazed at the speed with which Peter made it to the man, his fist crashing into his face. Peter ripped his helmet from his head, revealing his long ears.

"This human enough for you motherfucker!? Was my sister human enough for you at Vale!?" He roared.

"Pete!" Stevens bellowed, trying to shift refugees out of the way on his way to his friend.

The Fang terrorist spat blood onto the floor.

"There are martyrs in every cause."

Peter stood up to his full height. "I'm glad you feel that way."

In a flash, his sidearm was in his hand, pressed into the terrorist's head. Stevens screamed as he shoved his way towards them, trying desperately to reach them in time.

He wouldn't be fast enough.

The pistol clicked as Peter fired, completely empty.

The faunus cursed as he spun the weapon in his hand and reared up, intent on beating the Fang member to death. Stevens' arm wrapped around his neck and pulled him backwards onto the floor of the bullhead before he had the chance.

"Pete! It's gonna be ok! It's gonna be ok!" The giant of a man kept shouting into his friend's ear as he wrestled with him.

Jaune didn't believe him, not really, but as exhaustion claimed him, and he could no longer keep awake, he held Yang and Ruby close, and chose too, even if only for a moment.

* * *

 **Atlesian Promises**

The boy had never seen is grandfather cry before, he'd always been such a jolly man, taking care of him while his parents were away. Not until the day the man in uniform came and passed him a flag and a letter.

His grandfather had cried a lot that day.

Similarly, he'd never seen his grandfather angry, not really. Not until 'the General' or 'the Lion of Atlas' as he was called, had come on tv with the white-haired man. He struggled to understand why his grandfather was upset by a simple handshake, but he was.

"Goddammit! They lied to us! We fought for them, died for them, and this is what we get!?" The white-haired man raged.

He tried to comfort his grandfather, to tell him that it'd be ok.

The older man grabbed him by the shoulders. "You don't understand son, your parents died for this! Gave their lives for his cause. And where is he now? Shaking hands with a Schnee." He spat. "For 'peace,' for 'stability.'" He mocked.

He asked his grandfather why the man lied, and the old man shook his head.

"Because that's all they know here, Atlesian promises."

* * *

His grandfather had never regained his jolly demeanor, it was lost to him. Later that year, his grandfather had lost his health. A few months after that, he lost his grandfather.

He'd learned a new word then.

Orphan.

They told him it meant him, and that he should go to a home with others like him. He didn't really want to leave his grandfather's home, but they'd promised to take care of him.

It was, as his grandfather had once said, an Atlesian promise.

He'd figured out that something was wrong when they had begun making them work in the remains of the capital. And there was plenty of work to be done.

Rubble and debris littered the ground, and there weren't enough hands to go around in the aftermath of what people called 'the revolution.' He was strong, he was brave, he could work. He pushed through the cuts and bruises, the exhaustion, and the occasional beating for moving too slow, but when IT happened, he decided he was done.

Ryan, a boy around his age, had found a small metal cylinder. He'd tried to move it, tried to pick it up and carry it to the dump truck, just like they'd asked. When one of their 'handlers' saw him, they screamed, reaching out to smack the boy.

Ryan had dropped the cylinder.

He'd never forgot the sound it made as it exploded.

* * *

He'd met Martin in the days following running away from the orphanage, stumbling across the man as he begged along the street.

Martin was what he'd learned was called a racist.

Martin was also blind, courtesy of a mortar round during the battle for the capital.

The man had told them that they could take care of each other in the streets. He'd be Martin's eyes, and Martin would be his strength. Martin was a warrior you see.

He'd been part of the council guard. He'd been elite. He was very proud.

Especially about how he'd turned 'those filthy animals' back time and again during the assault on the capital.

But Martin also had something called Aura, and he promised to teach him.

And teach him he did. Martin beat him bloody time and again, with both his hands and his 'sword,' an old boom handle. He'd taught him to counter, to look for the holes that were there when an opponent attacked, and exploit them. He'd taught him to flow, to strike, to win.

"Dammit boy, you keep learning like this, and you'll be able to keep yourself safe from those filthy animals, no matter how strong." Martin had complimented him on the days when he fought well.

He certainly hoped the man was right.

For years, they'd been a team. He'd kept them fed and Martin had kept them safe. He still marveled at it sometimes, how well they'd worked together, human and faunus. And all it took was for one of them to be blind.

But like all alliances between humans and faunus, it wasn't meant to last.

Martin had started to cough, and while it had started dry, it hadn't stayed that way. The man had slowed, becoming less and less interested in training, before he started becoming less and less interested in moving at all. They both knew what was coming, they just didn't like to talk about it.

To his shock, Martin was the one that broke their agreement of silence.

"Boy, you know what they used to call me? Back when I could see, could fight?"

"They called you the Red Viper."

The man chuckled. "Always hated that, never liked being called an animal."

"I know the feeling Martin."

The older man hummed. "Bet you don't know why though. I've been saving something for you boy, something I couldn't bring myself to sell. Go look under the floorboards in the back left of the hut."

He did as instructed, shuffling to the back of their poorly constructed plywood and cardboard home in what had become 'their' alley, pulling up the boards to see, without a doubt, the most expensive thing he'd ever laid eyes on.

It was a sword, the sheath as black as night, and with what looked like a firing mechanism built in. He pulled at the hilt, slowly revealing the blood red blade.

"They're called Blush and Wilt." Martin told him.

"Martin...these are Hunter's weapons."

"Aye, and now they're yours."

"I'm no Hunter."

"Then come over here, and receive the second part of your gift."

The man held out a shaky hand, waiting until the boy gently took it, allowing the man to touch his head.

"For it is through strength that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a symbol of power and glory to rise above all. Infinite in fury and ultimately bound by death, I release your soul, and pass my pride onto thee."

There was a surge of something that coursed through his body, through his soul. He didn't understand it then, as he'd never experienced it before in his young life. He'd later come to understand that it was power, and it determined who lived and who died.

After receiving such a gift, he could no longer remain silent.

"Martin, I'm a-"

"A man." His partner interrupted, before falling into a coughing fit. "A proud man. A strong man. Don't let anyone ever talk down to you boy. Not ever."

"You just said I was a man."

The older man smiled. "There you go. Now, don't you think it's time you left here? This place isn't big enough for two men."

He knew what the man was doing, what he wanted to spare him.

"Martin…"

"Go son, I'll be fine. I always am."

As he slowly walked away from the alley, away from Martin, he contemplated the man's words. It certainly wasn't the first time he'd been told an Atlesian promise, but…

It was the first time he'd been told one out of kindness.

* * *

He was a proud man.

He'd quick show this to the rest of the slum's population, human and faunus alike, as he carved out what he considered his territory.

Something that belonged to him. He liked the sound of that.

As it turned out, he'd liked the sound of it too much. He'd certainly felt a unique rush when he'd cut the security forces officer who'd tried to steal his meager earnings, but it was quickly replaced by a sinking feeling as he watched the man's partner run off into the night.

By the morning, he knew he'd either be out of Atlas, or he'd be a dead man.

He'd chosen the former, bribing his way onto an Atlas ship. A ship that specialized in smuggling cargo to and from a place they called Menagerie. They said it was a place where faunus were free to be faunus, but then, they said a lot of things.

The human crew had promised him safety, but like all human promises, it turned out to be an Atlesian one.

Not a few nights into their journey, he'd heard the door to the boiler room he'd been sleeping in, and saw a dark form reach for Wilt.

They didn't know he slept with Blush.

He'd always been amazed at how easily the blade passed through flesh. Whether it was an effect of the Aura, or the blade itself, he was never sure. He stood over the body, contemplating how he'd ever reach this Menagerie now.

His answer came in the form of gunfire from up on deck.

He cautiously made his way upwards, moving from wall to wall before he peaked out onto the deck. It was then that he saw her, holding up the captain of the vessel by his throat.

Her ears spoke to her faunus heritage, but it was the stripes that caught his attention, painstakingly tattooed across every inch of skin he could see. This woman was faunus…and proud.

What a conundrum.

He watched as she snapped the man's neck. She was faunus and powerful.

She rounded on him as he stepped out onto the deck, Blush by his side.

Her eyes narrowed. "Are you with these flesh peddlers? Come to steal more faunus for the SDC with promises of a 'living wage?'"

"They were taking me to a place called Menagerie. They say that faunus can live how they want there."

She snorted. "The strong can."

"I'm strong." He declared.

Her eyes traveled down to Blush, blood still dripping off it.

"Perhaps you are. What's your name boy?"

"Adam."

* * *

He'd traveled the rest of the way with the woman he'd learned was called Sienna, listening to her tales of the war against the humans. Such a thing seemed impossible, yet…it gave him hope somehow.

When they'd reached the island, he'd learned that Sienna was not the only power on the island. A man named Ghira had met them at the docks, yelling about 'unsanctioned military action.' Sienna had been defiant.

She was a proud woman. He understood that.

He tried to understand Ghira, he really did. The man invited him into his home, provided him with safety, with food, with a place to sleep. Introduced him to his wife and daughter.

Gods, but his daughter was beautiful, and brave, and pure. He knew he wanted to protect her, to keep away the outside world.

That was what was so frustrating about Ghira. He didn't understand the outside world. The terror and poverty that the faunus lived in. He lived on his island and told himself Atlesian promises, told himself that it was ok. He didn't understand.

Adam wanted Blake to understand.

That's why he'd taken her to the rally. Taken her to see Sienna. Taken her to see the truth.

By the way she clutched at his hand, he knew she was afraid, but not of him.

She was afraid of the truth.

He could understand that too.

It was terrifying.

* * *

For the first time in his life, he was a part of something bigger than himself.

He was part of the Fang.

He was part of a family.

Unfortunately, the family was being mislead. Ghira was kind, but that also meant he was weak. If there's one thing that he understood about humans, it was that they only understood strength.

Strength that Sienna had.

She was cunning too, slowly consolidating her power base over the years, leading from the front while Ghira remained on the island. She'd gathered her support, now was her time. Their time.

All she needed was one last push over the top.

He'd been hesitant when she'd approached him about it, he didn't want to put her in that position. Sienna had insisted on its importance though, saying that the symbolism was key. She'd swore that it'd allow them to make real change.

He told her he'd hold her to that, there'd be no Atlesian promises here.

So, he'd reluctantly gone to the girl, slowly trying to convince her that it was the right choice.

There had been tears, and Gods how he hated it when she cried. There had been too many tears already.

His had certainly run dry.

She'd eventually come around, the tales of suffering from those that fled to Menagerie, the suffering that she'd witnessed on their raids, the more tame ones, was too much to bear. He told her he'd be there for her, every step of the way.

He stood behind her now, offering silent support as she moved to the head of the stage, staring out on the myriad of faces gathered at the rally.

She shuffled nervously, trying to gather her courage. That was ok, he understood her pain. He knew she was brave enough to see this through.

Blake leaned forward into the mic, speaking in a shaky but clear voice.

"I, Blake Belladonna, vote Sienna Khan the new leader of the White Fang."

* * *

He watched as the train traveled along the tracks below, carrying its cargo of Dust to another major city, where it'd be sold for a massive profit, and perpetuate the cycle of faunus exploitation.

That train had to be stopped. He understood that.

Blake was a little less understanding.

She was afraid, and he understood fear. He'd been afraid for his whole life. His people were afraid, and he swore to free them from that fear.

She was worried about hurting the innocent. She just didn't understand that where humans were concerned, there was no such thing.

She'd made him promise to only hurt people if it was necessary. He'd happily agreed.

They just had different understandings of what was necessary.

He told himself that kept it from being an Atlesian promise.

* * *

 **JJD: Woof. Remember when we said that things would start getting more serious as the plot developed? Yeah…sorry for the bumpy ride.**

 **No Omake this week folks. I thought about it, and it just didn't fit the tone. I'll spend the time working on a new chapter for Analogies instead, so you can all get your Dragonslayer sexual tension/comedy fix that way.**

 **Alternate Track:** Peter Piper picked up a nine, put it together  
Started poppin' at the people, they 'bout to meet the Beretta - **Joyner Lucas, Look Alive**


	13. Two Way Comms

**Cr00cy, we need a breather after that last chapter. Let's hook these fine people up**

 **Chapter 12**

 **Two Way Comms**

 **W.S. Quote Book Says:** Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing **. - Rollo May**

 **W.S. Playlist Says:** Fuck what you heard! It's what you hearin **' - DMX, 'X gon' give it to ya'**

* * *

"It's a court martial." Zane said.

"No." Winter answered, her hands folded in front of her as she sat at her desk.

Jaune looked about the small 'office' that they occupied, a small connex that had been converted for the purpose. It had to be the hundredth time that they had gone through this.

"You don't think I fucking hate this?" Zane questioned. "That I hate myself for suggesting it?"

She let out a tired sigh. "I know you do. It's why I'm saying no."

"We can't say no. First...Winter, he tried to kill a prisoner."

"But he didn't."

"You think that matters to the people on that bullhead? You think it's going to save him?"

"It matters to me." She said.

"Winter, please think about this." The Chief pleaded. "A soldier, an Atlesian soldier, held a gun to the head of a faunus prisoner and pulled the trigger. There's no taking that back. People know, people saw."

"The citizens of Banner don't seem to care."

Zane tsked. "They don't now, cause they're in shock, but what about tomorrow, what about next week? Do you know what this looks like?"

Jaune flinched as her hand slammed down on the desk.

"I don't care what it looks like!"

"You should! You're not thinking straight! It backs up everything that's ever been said about us, it's going to mean more unrest if it gets out. More Fang."

"He's my troop Chief!"

"He's ours! You don't think I'm disgusted by thinking about it? I fucking love Peter! He's been with me for years! But this is bigger than me, bigger than him...bigger than you."

She met his gaze. "He wasn't in his right mind."

"I know." He whispered, "but I'm saying it doesn't matter. It happened."

"But it didn't happen."

"Don't play word games with me Winter. You know what I mean."

She looked away. "I do...but it doesn't change my decision."

"And what do you think comes next? When one of them breaks? Decides that maybe we should have protected them better? That Atlas doesn't give a fuck about them?" He questioned. "Cause I'll tell you. They'll report it to the media, and you know what happens next? Atlas is on trial."

"We're talking about Peter on trial." She argued.

"I know, but he knows that too. You think that's what Peter wants? For a fit of rage to tear down all he's worked for? It's not what I want, but it's what needs to happen."

"No."

"Goddammit Winter! They're going to come for you! You're the perfect fucking target! Little miss Schnee and her band of faunus killers."

"You're faunus!" She argued.

"Facts don't matter anymore, only how people feel." Chief sighed. "And how do you think they're going to feel about you?"

"Probably the same way they already feel. The way they've always felt."

"Winter...we can't do nothing. This isn't going away."

She sighed. "I know."

"Then what are we going to do?" He pleaded. "What's the plan?"

They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a moment, all finding ways to not meet each other's gaze.

"We're sending him home." Winter finally said.

Chief shook his head. "Winter, we-"

"Let me finish. We're sending him home, and I'm denying his reenlistment. This is it for Peter, he'll serve out the rest of his term at the school house, and then he's going to have to find something else." She swallowed. "He won't be a Beowolf anymore."

Zane ran a hand through his hair. "Winter, even if we do, even if command lets that happen...what happens to you when someone comes forward? I'll do anything I can for Pete, but I don't want to see you get sucked down into it to. He made his choice."

"And I'm making mine." She said with finality, before softening. "Chief, I appreciate it, I really do, but I can't make myself do it. Maybe that makes me not cut out for this."

He chuckled. "You not wanting to do it is why I want to keep you around so bad."

She smiled back tiredly. "And here I thought it was because I was eye candy."

He snorted. "You're a walking discipline issue waiting to happen. Any thoughts on what you're going to say when this comes back on us?"

She shrugged. "I figure I'll just let the usual wave of anti-Schnee blow through, and I'll either survive it, or I won't."

"And if you get kicked out?" He questioned.

"I'll open a record label. I bet Weiss needs work." She joked.

Jaune choked back a laugh, earning a raised eyebrow from Winter.

"Maybe I'll hire you too, if I'm feeling gracious. You've proven useful at menial task."

The blond tsked. "Gee, thanks."

"Seriously though Jaune...what do you think about all this? You're a part of this team." Chief turned his glance to meet his at that, appraising the young man.

Jaune swallowed and shifted nervously in place.

"That's...kinda hard for me to answer impartially. Pete saved me yesterday, picked me up off the ground and half-dragged me back to the line." He let out a slow breath. "I..I know what he did is wrong, very wrong, but...I can't say I wouldn't have done the same."

"Spec, Jaune, I'm not saying we wouldn't have either, but that's not the question."

Jaune sighed. "Yeah, I know." He stared at the floor for a few moments before nodding to himself and looking up. "We send him home. I know that's easier for me to say as an outsider, but I think it's what he deserves."

Zane shook his head. "Court martialed, the fucking lot us. Ok, whatever, I'm on board. You ready to give him the news?"

"No." Winter answered as she fell back into her seat.

Zane nodded. "Cool, I'll let him in."

The faunus crossed over the thin, metal door and cracked it open, popping his head out and saying, "Stevens, we're ready."

He closed the door again and crossed the room to stand by Winter, motioning for Jaune to take a place towards the back out the room. A minute later, there was a knock at the door, to which Winter simply responded.

"Enter."

The door opened once more, and Peter walked in, his uniform looking as clean as he could make it given the circumstances. He strode forward, movements crisp, and saluted the Specialist.

"Ma'am, Sgt. White reports as ordered."

She returned the salute, before relaxing. "Pete, stand at ease."

The faunus dropped into a more relaxed stance, hands still folded behind his back.

"You know why you're here Pete."

"I do ma'am."

"What happened out there?" She questioned.

Surprisingly, the man didn't hesitate.

"I lost control. I tried to kill that man. I would have killed that man."

Winter nodded. "Why?"

"Ma'am, my sister got caught up in the attack...the massacre at Beacon. When I saw it going down again, I-" The man's voice caught, causing Stevens to step forward, hand outstretched, before Chief held up a hand, stilling him. "I snapped." The faunus continued. "I was ready to do what I had to to make sure it didn't happen again."

"Pete...why didn't I know about your sister?" Winter asked carefully. "You know that I wouldn't have let you come if I knew, didn't you?"

The soldier swallowed. "Exactly that ma'am. They don't really let faunus go after faunus, so I figured this was my only shot."

"For revenge?"

"...yes ma'am."

She sighed. "Gods Pete."

"It's on me ma'am. I know that. Do what you have to."

Stevens did speak up this time. "If that damn-"

Chief's gaze snapped over to the large man. "You will stand silent and at attention till spoken to soldier. Do not push me. Not you, not today."

The large man's mouth clicked shut, and he took his position next to Jaune.

"Pete." Winter continued. "What you did was outside of any legal boundary."

"Yes ma'am."

"And so I've come to a decision. You're leaving this combat zone immediately. You'll be returning to Atlas to serve in the schoolhouse. In addition, I will be denying your reenlistment. When you finish your term of service, you will be exiting the Atlesian military. There are several resources available to you to help you make this transition. Do you understand what I've told you?"

The man's face was stone.

"Yes ma'am."

She studied him for a moment before nodding. "Then you are dismissed."

The soldier snapped to attention, before snapping a salute in place. "It's been an honor ma'am."

She returned the salute. "It has Pete. I'll see you on the other side. Stevens will join you shortly."

The faunus dropped his salute, then quickly and crisply exited the room. The door had barely shut before Stevens began his protest.

"Ma'am, I-"

"Shut the fuck up!" Chief roared, pointing an accusatory finger towards the man. "You knew! You knew and you didn't tell us, you didn't tell me!"

"Pete-"

"Was out of his mind with grief! You think this is what he needed? What we needed?" The faunus spat. "We're supposed to be an unit Stevens. A family."

"Chief, I-"

"You say another goddamn word Stevens, and I swear to the Gods you'll be on that bullhead with him." The soldier popped to attention. "The only reason I'm not removing you is that Peter would have been your replacement. Do you know what our job is?" He motioned to himself and Winter. "To make sure your family gets to see you again! I can't fucking do that if I don't know who's unstable and who's not, can I?" He growled.

"You're supposed to be my team lead Stevens. You're supposed to be my eyes and ears when I can't be there, so we can take care of OUR team."

"Zane." Winter cut in, bringing the man back down, before shifting to Stevens. "You understand what you actions could have caused? Speak."

The man swallowed. "Yes ma'am."

"Good. I'm removing you from team lead as soon as we're done here. You'll have to earn that back."

"Yes ma'am."

"You are dismissed." She said in a clipped tone, before shaking her head. "Go find Pete. He'll need you."

Stevens bowed his head. "Yes ma'am," and with that, made his way through the door. When it clicked shut, Winter fell back again, exhausted.

"I hate this part Chief."

"Ditto ma'am."

She hummed. "Think they'll be ok?"

"Give them a minute. They're strong, they'll pull through. They're too stubborn not too."

She snorted. "Ain't that the truth." She looked over to the older man. "When do you have to be in place form Bryan's service?"

A pained expression overtook the man. "About an hour. Gods but I hate those."

"Ditto Chief. You going to be ok?"

He swallowed and nodded. "Yeah, yeah. I owe Bryan that. He was always a good friend."

"...yeah." She said quietly.

The faunus looked over to Jaune with tired eyes. "Hey Spec, can you do me a favor?"

"Yeah Chief, anything."

"Give those two a few to compose themselves, then go check on the idiots?"

The blond nodded. "Sure."

The older man let out a slow, shuddering breath.

"Thanks." He chuckled darkly. "Welcome to the Beowolves." He said sarcastically.

* * *

He slipped out of the connex shortly after that, eyes searching for some sign of the two soldiers. Chief had told him they probably wouldn't head back to the Beowolves' camp, at least not yet. He apparently thought that they might be a bit more comfortable opening up to him, given the blond's outsider status in the unit.

Where would they have gone?

His gaze fell upon the large, dome-like shape of the gym tent.

There.

He half-jogged the distance over to the tent, slipping inside, and finding it unsurprisingly empty ahead of the funeral ceremony. Only two figures occupied the space, blouses cast to the side and dancing around on the mats as Stevens held up mitts that Peter would fire off crisp combinations on.

"One, two, three." The big man called out, letting the faunus rip into the pads, before throwing a lazy hook that the man ducked under, coming up with a hook of his own. They shuffled and struck for a few minutes more before a timer dinged, causing both men to straighten and breath. Stevens noticed him first.

"Sup, Spec?" He said, without any real energy.

Jaune just shook his head. "Watching the show. Pete, you move better than I do."

The faunus snorted. "Yeah, I think the difference being that I don't move straight through walls." He paused for a moment, looking down at his wrapped hands. "Chief send you?"

"...Yeah."

The faunus just nodded and Stevens tsked.

"Can't believe that guy. Doesn't he understand-"

"Stevens." Peter cut the man off sharply, before softening. "Bro, you think there's anyone that doesn't get it more than him? Dude has been living it for years. His whole life really. He knows why, he just knows you can't let fuck ups like that happen."

"He's worried about you." Jaune offered.

Peter chuckled he plopped down on the mat and started picking at his hand wraps.

"He's an old softie. You know that he was the one that got me in? Owed my old coach a favor, and pulled some strings to cover up some of my...youthful indiscretions. Thank the Gods, don't know what I would've done without this." He said, motioning to the Beowolf symbol on his shirt.

"What'd you want to do before this?" The knight asked.

The faunus shrugged. "Honestly? I wanted to box, but wasn't good enough for that shit." He shook his head. "You know what's funny Spec?"

"Jaune."

He nodded. "You know what's funny Jaune? I used to fucking hate humans." He grinned when he saw Jaune's face. "Didn't expect that shit, did ya? Yeah, it only took about the tenth time of getting my ass kicked before I got tired of that shit. They thought my mom was a whore. Said my dad was a human." He shrugged. "Maybe that's true, stepped before I got a chance to meet him. But fuck did that bother me. Mom got scared, put me in a boxing course with a guy she knew." He smiled wistfully. "Old foxy Malone. Man was a fucking saint. Wouldn't take a lien off us, not that we had any to spare. Taught me how to take care of myself. Of my family. That old bastard used to take us to fights all the time, small time shit. You know who I'd root for?"

Jaune had a suspicion.

"The faunus. Every time. Didn't matter if I knew them. Didn't matter if they came from outside of Atlas. Didn't matter if they were an asshole. The only thing that mattered? That they weren't human. Even got this." He pulled up his sleeve and revealed a tattoo of a rabbit holding up a middle finger, that read, 'faunus and proud, go fuck yourself.' "A real poet, younger me."

He sighed. "Was that way for a long time. Not saying it's right, just saying it's the way it is."

"What changed?" The blond asked.

Peter snorted and motioned to Stevens. "This asshole...and Mags." His eyes widened. "Oh Gods, Mags. I've got to tell her, she's going to-"

"Be your wife." Stevens cut in, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Just like she's always been. Human, faunus, Atlas, no Atlas."

Peter sniffled and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Gods but I don't deserve that girl."

Jaune chuckled. "I know the feeling."

Pete shot him a weak smile. "Hold onto her, yeah? She'll save you in the end. I promise."

Stevens wrapped an arm around him. "You ok Pete?"

The faunus nodded. "Just...just tired I think. Tired of being fucking angry all the time. Tired of fighting. I need something else man." He looked over to the giant. "What do you think I'd be good at?"

Stevens pulled the man into him a little tighter.

"Being a dad."

They didn't talk much after that. Certainly not about the tears that may or may not have been shed. But, they were there, and that was what mattered.

* * *

The ramp ceremony was somehow even more somber than Jaune had imagined it would be.

He had watched in silence from his place in the Beowolf formation, the head of the formation, watching as large armored vehicles slowly rolled down that towards them. Too many vehicles…far too many. Each stopped in front of a smaller formation, the backs opening up to reveal flag draped caskets, that the formation would gingerly lift from its place on the floor and place on their shoulders.

Mercifully, incredibly, there were no Beowolf caskets today.

The Ursa were not so lucky.

Jaune watched as Chief Zane, Qrow, and Robin all took their places along the casket, hoisting it up and beginning their slow, solemn march towards the large cargo planes that waited along the ramp. Time and again the processions would pass, and their salutes would snap into place as names of the fallen were read aloud, and 'Pride of Atlas,' was played over the base's comm system. He couldn't help but feel out of place here, a voyeur that was allowed, but not truly at home. He wondered if the others felt the same, as they stood at attention for a team that both was and wasn't theirs. His thoughts were finally interrupted by a flurry of movement from the crowd, and a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Jaune. You ok?" Winter asked, concern on her face.

He nodded slowly. "Yeah…yeah. I just…I think I need a minute."

She looked like she wanted to say something, but just nodded and squeezed his shoulder.

"Come find us when you're ready."

"Ok." He said quietly, watching her go before he turned back to the activity on the ramp, watching the services crews work to set everything back in place, seemingly to erase all signs of what had just happened.

It seemed wrong somehow.

Jaune watched as a group of soldiers gathered around the chaplain on the ramp, paying their respects to the fallen as the man led them in quiet prayer. He hardly noticed the figure walk up on his right to join him in the watching.

"Make any sense to you?" Col Markus asked.

Jaune was stirred from his thoughts. "Oh, uh sir. I-"

"Stand down son. Today's not that kinda day." He watched as the man took out a cigar and lit it. "I've never really understood."

"Praying?" Jaune asked.

"Yeah, all those people down there, gathered round to pray to the Brother of Light to guide the souls of the departed." He took a deep pull of the cigar. "But that's not quite right is it? The story says that we're the children of both Brothers. That we're supposed to be both the light and the darkness."

Jaune watched the man stare out into the distance, as if trying to find the words he wanted.

"So, if that's what we believe, then shouldn't we be worshiping both Brothers equally? Shouldn't I praise the Brother of darkness for all the violence and death he brings? I ask myself, who comes closer to that than the soldier, who both claims lives and attempts to save them? Maybe we're in a unique position to understand our makers and their quarrel."

"Maybe." Jaune whispered.

He puffed at his cigar. "But then I remember that I think it's all bullshit, and there's nothing but us, squabbling by ourselves in the darkness. Makes me angry, makes me mad that they might be wasting their time down there, praying to someone who isn't there."

"What do you do about it?" The knight asked.

The Colonel chuckled darkly. "Not a goddamn thing. Do you know why? Because then I also remember to get the hell over myself. I remember that it doesn't fucking matter what I think, as long as that." He pointed with his cigar towards the prayer group. "Brings them peace." He took another puff. "That's what matters. That's all that matters. That's all that's ever mattered."

Jaune looked back to the group huddled together on the ramp, comforting each other, holding each other strong in the face of impossible pain.

"Yeah."

The older man sighed. "Sorry for waxing philosophic on you kid. I hate these things." He clapped a hand on the young blond's shoulder. "You did good out there son. This might not feel like victory, but it's a damn miracle that it wasn't a hundred times worse. Now if you excuse me, I gotta figure out what the fuck we're going to do with a few thousand civilians."

With that, the man tossed his cigar to the ground, stomped it out, then began walking back towards camp.

Jaune watched him go, his eyes glued to the older man's back until he disappeared into the sea of tents.

He closed his eyes, let out a slow trembling breath, and remembered that there would be time for doubts later. But right now - he had to get the hell over himself. His team needed him and he needed them.

* * *

Winter Schnee was good at many things, excellent even. It was something that she prided herself on.

But this?

She'd never been very good at this.

She walked through the Ursa camp, quietly offering condolences as she went. She owed it to the girl to come to her.

She finally spotted her distinct ears in the crowd at one of the wooden tables set up between the tents, sitting with Weiss.

She sighed. This was going to be even harder than she expected.

Nevertheless, she steeled herself and walked the remaining distance over the girls, trying desperately to come up with something to say. She settled for:

"Hey." Truly eloquent.

Her sister's gaze shifted between her and Blake nervously.

"Winter." She greeted carefully.

Blake chose to ignore her, keeping her nose buried in some book, not that she could blame her.

She coughed. "Weiss, if you could give me and Blake a minute-"

"I don't think that's a great idea."

Gods, but she'd grown.

"Relax sister, I just want to talk."

Weiss sniffed. "Then there should be no problem if I stay."

"I'd rather talk in private if at all possible." She pleaded.

"Winny, after last time, I-"

"Weiss." Blake spoke for the first time. "It's ok."

The younger Schnee eyed her carefully, prompting a small smile from the faunus.

"I'm a big girl."

Weiss nodded slowly. "I'm going to be right over there. Call if you need anything." She said with a quick look of warning to Winter.

"You sure you don't want to work out a distress word? Maybe cucumber?" Blake teased, earning an eye roll from her teammate.

"I try to help people and this is what I get." She complained, as she found her feet and walked off toward their team's tent.

Winter shook her head. "She's a handful."

"Yeah…"

The silence stretched out to uncomfortable levels. She supposed it was her job to make the first move.

"What are you reading?"

Perhaps not that move.

The dark-haired girl raised an eyebrow, but answered.

"It's called 'Ninjas of Love.' I doubt you've ever heard of it."

"I haven't read it." She admitted.

The silence stretched again. Time to bite the bullet.

"Specialist…Blake, I may have been hasty in my judgement of you during our previous encounter. It's possible that I let…outside emotions, cloud my judgement. In fact-"

"Is being terrible at apologies hereditary?"

Her mouth hung open for a moment, before she snorted.

"Weiss?"

Blake allowed a small smile to cross her lips.

"Weiss." She agreed.

Winter sighed and pushed her bangs out of her face.

"If it helps, we're better at thank you. You saved Stevens I heard. I can't thank you enough."

The younger girl shrugged it off.

"You would have done the same for any of ours."

Winter nodded. "Be that as that may, that doesn't change what you did, or the fact that I owe you an apology…I'm sorry."

Blake met her gaze for a moment before setting down her book.

"It's…ok. I…can understand how you feel. Especially after days like yesterday."

Winter winced. "That wasn't you."

"It could have been, once."

"But it wasn't."

Blake finally nodded. "No."

"I'm sorry about Bryan too. I'm not sure how well you knew him, but…"

"…yeah."

Winter lowered herself onto the seat across from the younger girl.

"He was a trip."

Blake snorted. "You're telling me."

Winter smirked. "Everyone has a Bryan story. What's yours?"

Blake sighed. "So, I was understandably pretty nervous when we got here, right? We're in-briefing with Chief Bryan, and he notices the ears. I'm expecting the worst." She chuckled. "You know what he said to me?"

"What?"

Blake put on a gruff voice. "So, you're somebody's fetish. Don't worry about it. Hopefully I'm somebody's too, we'll find out when we get out of this hellhole and get back to Atlas."

Winter snorted. "No."

Blake shook her head. "Yep, broke the ice, that's for sure. Maybe not the way I'd hoped, but it was effective."

"It's a miracle that man didn't get kicked out." Winter sighed. "I'm going to miss him."

"Me too."

"How's your team handling it?"

Blake sighed. "About as well as you'd expect. Ruby was heartbroken, but we've got Yang and Qrow, so that helps. Weiss has been quiet."

Winter nodded. "I'll talk to her."

"Thanks."

"You?"

"I dunno…I've seen it before, but…it's never easy." The girl admitted.

"It's not…"

The silence stretched again, and Winter felt herself become anxious to fill it with _something._

"I know what it is by the way."

Blake tilted her head at her.

"The book. I know the series." She clarified, a light blush forming on her cheeks. "I just prefer 'Knights of Romance.'"

A smirk found its way onto Blake's lips.

"Yeah? I bet you do."

"It's not like that!"

The faunus shrugged, smile still firmly in place. "I didn't say anything."

"You're jumping to conclusions, I can _see_ it in your seedy little brain."

"Hey, maybe you're right. Want to ask Yang so we have a third party?"

"You're terrible."

"It's part of my charm."

"Charm is a strong word."

"I grow on people."

"So do tumors."

They weren't better yet, Winter decided as they continued to trade playful barbs, but maybe they could get there.

* * *

It hadn't been a graceful start to a conversation. He'd never been someone who could think of speeches, and when he stumbled into the Beowolves' common area finding the team playing cards, he'd known what he'd wanted to do - to comfort them, to tell them he was proud of them, to be one of them - he just had no idea of how to do it.

He'd tripped over his own words for a few minutes as they stared at him from their seats on the large wooden tables in between the tents, trying to say _something_ profound about duty.

It was Stevens of all people who saved him, wrapping him in a headlock from behind and tussling his hair.

"Brothers Spec, that's your take on a motivational speech? We gotta buff that shit out."

Peter snorted as walked up behind the man.

"He's a lost cause man. You see how he ran out to get those people in the middle of Grimm territory? Spec here is crazy."

"You came after me!" The blond protested.

"Yeah, and as events have shown, I'm clearly out of my fucking head too." The faunus said with a small smile.

A quiet fell over the team, and everyone's eyes seemed to find other places to be.

Stevens tsked and pushed his friend playfully.

"Jokes folks. The rabbit's got jokes."

"We're doing jokes? I love jokes! Especially knock, knock jokes." Nora said as she strode up to the group, Ren in tow.

The ninja shook his head.

"Don't let her tell you any." He warned.

"Speaking of people who are off their rockers." Peter grinned.

Nora rolled her eyes. "Everyone's always on about this 'normal' thing. I think we work better this way."

The faunus laughed. "Yeah, maybe we do."

The ginger leaned in. "So, we gonna mope all day or are we gonna do something fun? We gotta see you off right?"

Stevens his arms around Peter and Jaune, squeezing the two.

"Gods, but I love that woman." He turned his head to his partner. "What's up Pete? What we doing?"

The man hummed, then looked to the rest of the team sitting at the table.

"You heard the lady, Sam. Deal us in. Who knows, maybe BRO over here will let me give him another prison tat."

"YES!" Nora cried.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Jaune said, hands up and smile in place. "Let's not."

"Awwww. Come on!" Peter whined. "We can get matching ones!"

"Doesn't yours say 'faunus and proud?'"

The man tsked. "It'll be fine. We'll say you're a lemming faunus or something. Sure act like one."

The blond rolled his eyes. "You're a real comedian."

Peter grinned and nudged Stevens. "Hear that? Already trying to help me find another job. You can't buy leadership like that."

Stevens laughed. "Nah, just got to wait for it to occur awkwardly and naturally on its own."

Jaune shook his head as they found their seats.

They were right. He was awkward, but then...so were they. He was a little crazy, but then...so were they. They were a strange mix of violence, humor, and grief, and they were _his._

Nora was right, they just worked better this way.

* * *

When Winter found him, he was busy trying to fend off Nora and Stevens holding him down as Peter prepped what she could only assume was his tattoo kit.

"You're gonna want to stay still Spec, else you're going to get a 'gibberish and proud' tattoo."

"I told you I don't need another tattoo!" Jaune shouted back.

"Psh, your team says otherwise. Isn't that right, Specialist Ren?"

The boy in green tried to keep a straight face, Winter thought it was a valiant effort.

He coughed. "I can neither confirm or deny."

Sam tsked. "I think it's just the content he's upset about." Her face lit up. "Ooh! What about a 'return to Yang' tat? How's that grab you Spec?"

"No!"

"Yes!"

Nora and Jaune yelled at the same time.

The pinkete shot a glance over to Ren.

"Renny! Tell him!"

The boy hummed. "It does seem appropriate…"

"You traitor!" The blond cursed.

Peter shrugged. "Works for me. Imma make the 'Yang' part real big."

Jaune chuckled nervously as he squirmed. "Ha ha. Very funny guys. Pete, you keep that away from me. Pete!"

She sighed. As much as she'd love to watch this play out, she needed him.

She cleared her throat, drawing the group's attention. They stared at her blankly for a moment before finding their feet, dropping Jaune in the process.

"Ma'am." Stevens greeted.

She shook her head. "Having fun?"

Peter smiled. "Just a little ma'am."

Their eyes met for a minute, and the faunus nodded slowly.

It felt like a boulder shifted off her heart.

"Well, if you can spare your favorite toy for a moment, I need to borrow him."

Sam groaned. "Do we have to?"

Winter smiled. "I'm afraid so." She said, earning a silent 'thank you,' from the boy.

"Don't worry, I'll return him when I'm done." That earned a less silent curse.

Stevens helped the blond to his feet. "Alright BRO, you heard the lady. Can't keep mom waiting."

She tsked. "Stevens we've been over this, I'm clearly the father figure of this unit."

He grinned. "Yes ma'am."

Jaune sighed as he walked over to her. "They're insane."

"I'm sure you fit in then."

He smiled. "Yeah. Anyway, what's up?"

She motioned behind her with her head.

"Walk with me."

"Where we heading?"

"We're walking."

He sighed. "Winter, I'm not really in the mood for the gym today…"

She hummed. "Me neither." She put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "I wanted you to know that you did good out there, and that I'm proud of you. I wasn't there for the team, and you were. Thank you."

He snorted. "I think they'll forgive you. We heard that you almost got Adam."

She sighed. "And almost only counts in hand grenades and horseshoes. Maybe I'll bring one of the former with me next time. I think I might have even messed up my side of the link yesterday."

He raised an eyebrow. "Did you get tired yesterday?"

She opened up her mouth to respond but he cut her off. "I mean, like, strangely tired? Like you were being drained?"

She looked at him for a moment before nodding slowly. "Yes...how did you know?"

He lit up. "It's weird, right? Like you start to feel like you're putting in a ton of effort, just doing nothing." He ran a hand through his hair. "I thought that just me after Anthem."

She perked up at that. "What about Anthem? Did it happen there too?"

He nodded. "Yeah, just started slowing down in the middle of the fight."

"Were you linked with anyone then?"

"Well yeah, Yang, but I've been linked before without that happening."

She nodded towards the large, dome like, tent of the gym a short ways away.

"Come with me."

They walked the rest of the distance over and she pushed through the door, looking back at him.

"I want you to think, was anything different between the times you've felt tired and the times you haven't?" She asked as she guided them over to the mats.

He sighed. "I don't think-" A scowl covered his face. "Wait...but that doesn't make any sense."

"What doesn't, Jaune?" She urged him on.

"It's been...distance." He said. "I've been farther away from the person when I get tired, but it's just Aura, I don't see how or why that'd matter."

"Jaune, Semblances and Aura are strange and unpredictable, it's hard to know what they'll do or how they react to stimulus. Maybe I can help, my Semblance is more complex than most. What do you _feel_ when you establish a link?"

He blushed. "I, uh, feel you."

She raised an eyebrow. "What now?"

"I feel the person." He corrected. "I feel pieces of their personality. Like, for Yang, it's anger, affection, strength. For Nora, energy, protectiveness, other things. I feel colors too, which is as weird as it sounds. I feel Gold or Pink when I'm linked with them."

"I noticed you excluded me from that list." She said. "What am I?"

He ran his hand through his hair again. "You really want to know?" He waited for her to nod. "You're strong, confident...arrogant sometimes, you need to be...you, I guess, and for the world to accept it. And white. You're white." He finished in a hurry.

She tsked. "Not necessarily the most flattering thing to hear, but...you're not wrong." She admitted. "I don't feel any of that. I just feel power. Like it's there and I'm pulling it into myself."

"Huh. I feel like I'm pushing it to you."

She tapped her foot as she considered it, before a thought struck her. An odd one, but an option.

"Jaune, what do you know about electricity? Specifically how it travels?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You mean like how it tries to find a ground?"

She shook her head. "No, more like AC and DC power. You're familiar with the concept?"

He rolled his eyes. "Golly gee ma'am, we never had no education out in dem woods."

"A simple yes would have sufficed. I'm definitely giving you back to Peter and crew." She growled. "Do you want help or not?"

He held up his hands in defeat. "Ok, ok, I'm sorry. DC is direct current, it's you pushing electricity one-way, and AC is Alternating Current, it goes both ways." His eyes widened in understanding. "But that's electricity!" He protested.

She shrugged. "Sometimes Aura mimics nature. We use AC power because it's more efficient over long distances. DC you have to-"

"-Keep adding more power as it goes along." He finished.

She nodded. "I figure it's worth a try."

"Yeah, but how?"

She held out a hand and gave an exasperated sigh. "I don't know, do your...thing. Walk me through it."

He slowly reached out and took her hand in his. "Ok, I'm going to start." He waited for her to nod, then reached out through the void and found her. A rush of emotions hit him. Power, pride, a deep sadness, tiredness, nervousness. And White, always White."

"You don't have to be nervous." He comforted.

 _Surely she didn't think he'd hurt her?_

"Jaune, you can feel my emotions...it's weird." She shot back.

 _Ok, might have misread that one._

He chuckled. "I don't see anything."

"Still weird. What's next?"

He sighed. "When I do it, I can feel... _you,_ somewhere out there. Like the Aura that is Winter. Can you see anything, feel anything?"

She bit her lip and shook her head. "No, I don't think so."

"Close your eyes." He tried, earning a glare. "What? I know it's dumb, but I've got nothing."

"Whatever." She muttered as she closed her eyes and concentrated.

"Anything?"

"No, I-" She paused. "Wait, I think...maybe I feel...something. What do I do?"

He laughed. "Just grab it I guess. What's the worst that's going to happen?" He joked. "Probably not going to do anything."

"Famous last words." She grumbled. "Ok, here we go."

He'd been wrong.

Very, very wrong. If linking normal felt like getting hit with a wave of emotions, this was getting hit by a freight train full of them.

There was nothingness now, he was surrounded by an empty black void. And yet, it was so very full. Winter was everywhere, he was everywhere, he wasn't sure he could tell the difference anymore. It felt like drowning, until finally, gloriously, he came up.

He was standing next to his grandfather's bed in the Schnee manor. His dainty hand holding his old and weathered one. Grandpa Nicolas had always been so strong, him being bound to this bed just seemed...wrong. His mother was crying. He knew something bad was going to happen, he just wasn't sure what.

Winter stood in front of the door of their small rural home, waiting as they'd waited for the past week, her mother becoming more distraught with each day. Her sisters tried to comfort the woman, but she would have none of it. Finally, as if in answer to their prayers, there was a knock at the door.

Jaune stood in front of his father, receiving the same dose of anger and disappointment he'd grown so accustomed to. Always it was 'you should act like a lady,' and 'embarrassing this family.' It made a slow, hot rage build up in his stomach, but he could take it. As long as he was yelling at him, Weiss was ok.

She was at the rehab facility again. She knew he hated it, the reminder of what he was, of what he'd lost. Nevertheless, they'd come every week. He was getting better, even if he'd never be Arthur Arc the Huntsman again. She hoped that meant that he'd be in a better mood this time. Once they got done, she was going to ask again.

James Ironwood stood before him. THE James Ironwood. He'd just given him an offer. An offer that meant turning his back on everything that was coming to him. He'd never be the heiress of the SDC ever again, his future would be uncertain and violent. But it would be his. He prayed that Weiss would understand when he left tomorrow.

She just didn't understand how he couldn't understand. He was just so afraid of her 'becoming like him.' Didn't he understand that all she wanted was to become like him? To be strong, to be brave, to be like her old man? She certainly didn't feel brave as she snuck out in the night, grabbing Crocea Mors from its place above the mantle. She prayed that they'd understand in the morning.

Jaune gasped as air filled his lungs and color returned to his world. Sweat rolled off of him in streams, and his breath came out in pants. His eyes found his hand, no that wasn't right, _her_ hand, and trailed up it to a shaken Winter, her eyes wide and breaths ragged.

"I'm sorry!"

"I'm sorry!"

They both shouted out. It didn't stop them from pushing forward.

"Grandpa-, I mean Nicolas, seemed like a good man."

"He was. Your mother is beautiful. I love our-, your sisters."

"They're a handful. Gods but your dad is an asshole."

"You're telling me. I'm sorry about yours."

He swallowed and looked away. "He'll come around...or he won't. I made a choice, now I've got to live with it." His eyes met hers. "She doesn't blame you, you know. Never once."

She gently squeezed his hand. "Thank you. Jaune, you need to call them. They're going to be scared."

"I know." He whispered. "I will, I promise, just...not today."

"Soon." She urged.

"Soon." He promised.

She shifted uncomfortably. "Would you mind? Letting go?"

He looked down at their interlocked hands and pulled back like he'd been bitten.

"Sorry!"

She laughed. "I've been you Jaune, I think we're past that stage."

He laughed back. "Yeah." He perked up. "Hey, did it work? How do you feel?"

She hummed and looked down at her hands, flexing them.

"I don't have to pull, it's just there. _You're_ just there." She nodded. "I feel unstoppable."

He grinned. "Yeah, there's no effort, it just...is." He laughed again. "This is pretty cool."

She coughed. "It is pretty 'cool,' it's also pretty intimate."

He hummed. "I mean, yeah, I guess."

"And what does that tell you you should do Jaune?"

"I don't understand-" His eyes widened. "Winter, I got to go! Thank you so much for the Semblance stuff!" He rushed out, as he bolted towards the door.

She chuckled. "Good man."

"He's a kid. But yeah, he's a good one." Spoke a familiar voice from the back of the gym.

She sighed. "Qrow. How long of you been here?"

He hummed. "I think I got here just in time for whatever that was." He said, making a vague motion towards her.

"I think it's the next step of his Semblance."

He nodded. "Seems intense. You look like you could use a drink." He said, as he produced a bottle and two tin cups.

She raised an eyebrow. "I thought you quit."

He snorted. "Yeah, the kids'll kill me if they catch me, but...this isn't mine."

It clicked.

"Bryan's stash."

"Yeah, didn't think he want it go to waste."

She nodded. "Pour me a glass."

He chuckled. "Yes ma'am. Always were decisive."

"A trait I remember you not caring for." She said as she accepted her cup.

He winced as he poured. "Look, Ice-Winter, I, uh." He sighed. "I've done things that I'm not too terribly proud of. Cheers." He finished as he held out his cup. "To Bryan."

"To Bryan." She agreed, knocking back the cup, and then immediately struggling to keep the scowl off her face.

He smirked. "You're making a face."

She coughed. "It's awful!"

He laughed. "Bryan had shit taste." He shook his head. "It's weird. I hadn't seen the guy in years. Honestly half-assumed that he was already dead, and I was ok. This is a rough fucking job, I know it, you know it, he knew it. But then, I see that asshole, and somehow, just a few weeks of trading old war stories, half of 'em bullshit, and we were right back to being kids." He sighed. "Now? Now it fucking hurts."

"Qrow…"

"Listen to me, throwing a pity party over here. You don't need.-"

"Qrow."

"I don't need pity Winter, I'll be-"

"Qrow. Pour me another fucking glass." She said as she held out her cup.

He stared at her for a moment, mouth half-open, before grinning.

"Yes ma'am."

He filled her cup.

She thanked him, and they drank in silence for a while.

"What brought you out here?" She finally asked.

He sighed. "I wanted to talk."

"About what?"

"Bout you, about the kid, about Bryan. A lot of things I guess."

"Well, we're here." She said.

He nodded. "Yeah. Look, Winter, I wanted you to know that you've grown. I swear to Gods I mean that honestly. I know I'm bad at this kind of shit, but what you did out there? It was impressive." He laughed. "Bryan wouldn't shut the fuck up about you. Always giving me shit, saying he got 'short changed in the First department.' He was proud of you. I...I wanted you to know that."

She sniffed, and hid her face in her cup as she took another drink. "He-" She coughed. "He was one of the first people that I met, when I started." She smiled sadly. "Called me 'IcyHot,' thought that was hilarious. But you know what? As much as he complained. As much as he bitched about taking care of Specs, he always had time, whether I wanted it at the time or not, to pull me aside and explain the 'why' of things. He was pissed when they decided to transfer me to the Beowolves, said 'I just got finished training this one.'"

He laughed. "Sounds like Bryan."

She held out her cup, and he filled it again.

"Winter, I'm-"

"Yeah, me too."

He took a drink.

"Thank you, by the way."

She shot him a confused look.

"For what?"

"For taking care of the kid."

She hummed. "He's important to you."

"He scares the shit out of me."

She chuckled. "Want me to tell him you worry?"

He snorted. "Please don't inflate his ego. I just- you're good for him. You've helped him a lot, and not just with those sparring sessions."

She tsked. "Someone had to undo the damage you did." She teased. "Honestly Qrow? Fighting mean?"

"Hey, I needed to call it something!" He defended, shaking his head. "But yeah, he's a good kid."

She smiled. "He is."

"Reminds me of Bryan."

She snorted and shot him a sideways glance. "Reminds me more a certain ornery bird."

He sighed. "Yeah, that's always been the part that scares me."

* * *

He sprinted through the camp, weaving through the tents on his way to the Ursa camp. He didn't really understand why he had to run, she'd be there either way, but it felt too important not to.

He bolted into the Ursa's collection of tents, eyes scanning until they fell on Weiss.

"Yang." He breathed.

She gave him a confused look, but jerked a thumb back towards their tent.

"She's sitting with Ruby. Jaune, is everything ok?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I just...needed to see her."

Her expression softened. "Yeah, of course. She'll be glad to see you. Just be quiet when you go in, ok?"

"Yeah, thanks Weiss." He started to make his way towards the tent, then paused. "Hey Weiss."

"Mmhm?"

"Your sister...she cares about you a lot."

She tilted her head, confused expression back in place.

"I'm sorry, I know I'm not making sense, but she thinks about it. Leaving home without you. A lot." He sighed. "Now I babbling, I'm-"

"Jaune?"

He sighed. "Yeah?"

"Thank you. Where is she?"

He pointed back towards the gym.

"Back there, last I saw her."

The ex-heiress nodded. "Thank you." She repeated as she found her feet. "I think I've got somewhere to be. You got Ruby and Yang?"

"Yeah."

She placed a hand on his shoulder as she passed.

"I know you do."

He watched her for a moment, as she passed through the tents, disappearing from his sight.

He still had somewhere to be.

Yang.

He trotted the rest of the way to the tent, gently pulling back the flap. A pair of wary lilac eyes stared back at him before relaxing. His gaze trailed over to a sleeping redhead, laid out on her bunk.

"She ok?" He whispered.

She nodded. "Yeah, just tuckered out. It's not as bad as last time. She's woken up a few times, talked to us a bit, then goes right back to sleep."

He pushed into the tent, then took the seat next to her that she scooted over to provide on the bunk across from Ruby.

"You ok?" He asked.

She sighed. "Physically? Yeah, good to go."

He slipped his hand into hers. "And emotionally?"

"I don't know. Tired I guess? Just really tired." She brushed her hair out of her face. "I'm worried about Rubes. I talked with Qrow, and people are going to take notice. It's a matter of time before the questions about what the hell that was start coming in."

"What does he say we should do?"

She snorted. "Tell the truth...kinda. He wants to go with it being a family trait, one we can't control. Leave it at that for as long as we can. Hopefully till we're out of Atlas."

He squeezed her hand. "She'll be ok. We're here."

She gave him a small smile. "Yeah. You and Oscar both." She teased.

He raised an eyebrow. "He's been by?"

She laughed, then stifled it. "Has he been by? That boy has been religious about stopping by. It's adorable honestly. I can't wait to tell her, watch her turn as red as her cloak."

"Hey now, as Oscar's older brother/temporary father figure, I've got to ask that you leave the boy with some secrets."

She laid her head on his shoulder. "Father figure, huh?"

"Well, I-"

"It sounds nice. Maybe just not right now."

He rested his head on hers.

"You're ridiculous."

"And yet you stay."

He sighed. "I do." His reason for coming hit him. "Yang, do you mind if we try something?"

She hummed. "I'm always up for trying new things, but I don't think it's the best time baby."

He chuckled. "Not like that. Not right now anyway. I, uh, figured out another part of my Semblance."

She looked up. "The link?"

He nodded. "Yeah, and I wanted to show it to you. Share it with you."

A small grin came over her face. "Awww, you think about me."

"Always."

"Ok." She said as she squeezed his hand. "Hit me with it."

"It doesn't really work that way. Here, close your eyes."

She nodded and complied.

"Ok, I'm going to form the link. I want you to try to reach out and touch me. Just a heads up, this is going to be pretty intense."

"You sure we're not talking about the other thing?" She teased.

"My Aura." He clarified.

"Is that what we're calling him now?"

He sighed. "Ok, I'm going in."

"You're trying, there's no way you're not."

He reached out and embraced her in the void.

Strength, courage, anger, worry, affection. Gold.

"Ok." He said. "Now look for me."

She took a deep breath and nodded.

"Ok, I think I see...White? Like a lot of white."

"Try to hold it, to connect with it."

"Should we use protectio-"

"Baby, please."

"Ok, ok. Alright, I've got it, I don't-"

It hit.

There was just so much Yang. There was just so much him. He didn't know where they started or ended, but that was ok. He could feel the fear through the void, and sent out comfort, trying to calm the other half of him. He came up.

He'd been crying, he knew that. He also knew he hated crying. A beautiful woman, one that looked just like Ruby knelt before her, wiping away the tears. The woman held her, and whispered that it'd be ok. Somehow, someway, he believed her.

She was dancing, her steps clumsy and awkward, but that didn't bother her mother. She held her hands and laughed, spinning her towards one of her sisters, who took up the dance, smiling all the while. The boys at school said it was silly, but she never understood that. It just felt like home.

He was fidgeting with his school uniform, waiting to be taken to his first day at school. His mom smiled at him, playing with his long hair. 'You look just like her.' He knew she meant it as a compliment, but it still hurt. He didn't want to look like his mother, he wanted to look like his Mom.

She loved these camping trips. Even if her sisters kept trying to braid her hair. Dad always loved them too. They'd always take the easier path for him, but that was ok, they were together. She watched her dad carefully, a smile on his face. Maybe today would be the day. Maybe today would be the day he'd let her be like him.

He was on an airship, there was vomit on his shoes.

She was on an airship, looking up at the girl she'd just vomited on. Gods but she was beautiful.

The city was burning. He found her, his partner, and the man standing over her. He let out a battlecry and rocket forward. It was all pain and darkness.

The city was burning. Her partner was scared, so scared. She dragged her close, laying a desperate kiss on her lips and shoving her backwards. The lip of the rocket locker clicked shut, and the boosters started. It was all lights and noise.

He walked up to the house in Mistral. He found them, it'd taken weeks, but he was here, back with his family, where he belonged.

She watched her walk up to the training yard, long blond hair flowing and grin in place. Good, she was home, where she belonged.

He was scared, nervous and anxious, he could tell. That was ok. Their lips met again, and he reached out to guide his hands. They were together, and that's what mattered.

She was scared, nervous and anxious, and she knew she could tell. There was no judgement, just gentle hands that reached out and guided hers. They were together, and that's what mattered.

She gasped as she surfaced, the world coming rushing back to her. Jaune wrapped his arms around her and whispered comfort.

Gods that had been terrible, it had been amazing, it had been so many things.

"-ng, are you ok?" He asked, concern clear on his face.

She nodded slowly. "Yeah, yeah. Just...wow."

He chuckled softly. "Sorry."

"No!" She half shouted, before lowering her voice. "Don't apologize. Thank you." She smiled. "I'm glad you showed me."

He smiled back. "Did it help? Do you feel better?"

Her face scrunched up as she thought about it. She did. The anxiety and the exhaustion were still there, but they were farther away. They were shared.

She rested her forehead against his.

"How could I not feel better? You're here with me, aren't you?"

He squeezed her hand.

"Always."

She leaned forward into his lips, and everything was ok.

Because they were together, and that's what mattered.

* * *

 **Omake**

 **This one is Cr00cy's fault...and maybe a little bit mine**

 **That Awkward Moment When...**

She rested her forehead against his.

"How could I not feel better? You're here with me, aren't you?"

He squeezed her hand.

"Always."

She leaned forward into his lips, and everything was ok.

Because they were together, and that's what mattered.

She pressed further into the kiss, hands beginning to roam. They had just been one, and it had felt RIGHT. She wanted that feeling again.

Jaune apparently was a fan of the idea too, if the way he was tugging at her jacket was any indication. It was just going to get in the way anyway. She broke of the kiss and helped him peel it off before leaning back in and whispering in his ear.

"What do you think it's going to be like when we're linked?"

He gave her rear a squeeze.

"We should find out...for science."

"For science." She agreed readily.

The next few minutes were a whirlwind a clothes, hands, and lips, and it felt RIGHT. They were right, this was right, everything wa-

"YANG WHAT THE HELL!" Ruby shrieked.

"Oh shit!" Jaune cursed, rolling to the side and trying to cover them with the meager blankets.

"Uh, hi sis?" Yang tried weekly.

"You could find anywhere else!?" Ruby snapped. "I was sleeping RIGHT HERE!"

"You're such a heavy sleeper!" Yang complained, before her eyes widened with an idea. "In fact, you're still asleep! This is an all a dream! Woooooo." The blonde intoned as she waved her hand in front of her sister.

The redhead's eyes narrowed. "You can't be serious."

" _Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur…"_ Yang sang in a lullaby.

"Yang…" Ruby growled in warning.

" _Happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr, purr, purr."_ The blonde continued.

The younger girl threw off her covers with a snort.

"You know what? Fine. If this is a dream, then shit's about to get real Summer Rose real fast."

Jaune blinked. "Wait...what?"

* * *

 **AN: Ok, we made it! Through them first part of the storm! Last chapter was kinda relentless, and both we and the characters need time to catch their breath. Granted it's a bit more somber. Actions have consequences, and things like ramp ceremonies are never fun, but understanding loss and coping are a key part of life. Best way to do it is together, supporting each other.**

 **I wanted to do something with Jaune's Semblance as well. We're still waiting for the show to give us more insight on how his Semblance works, so I decided to continue down the route of it being about two people being connected, and sharing a part of themselves (if Aura is a manifestation of you, it makes sense to me). We'll continue to explore as we go.**

 **See you soon!**

 **Cr00cy: Just to be clear - in the omake, Ruby just wanted to see what happens when Jaune...connects with more than one person. You know, for science.**

 **END**


	14. Chain of Command

**Cr00cy, let's hit'em with some plot and character stuff...everyone loves character stuff**

 **Chapter 13**

 **Chain of Command**

* * *

 **W.S. Quote Book Says: "Conflict and resolution are two sides of the same coin." - Haresh Sippy**

 **W.S. Playlist Says: "Bitch, I'm a boss, I plan the shots, I call the calls." - Meek Mills**

* * *

She was good.

She was really, really, infuriatingly good.

But she wasn't invincible.

He could see it in the way that her foot slipped on the grass of the field they were using for a training ground, just a little farther than what she was comfortable with. He could see it in the way she chose to parry and angle out, rather than counter. He could see it in the way that her glyphs were hastily formed, not holding the substance and detail she prided herself on. Now, if you were to ask him how he knew all these things, he'd have to shrug at you…the link was weird.

It's not like he could blame her though, three on one was bad odds no matter how you broke it down. Which is was made it so goddamn irritating that she was holding Ren, Nora, and himself off on her lonesome. She was fighting smart, just like she always did, angling herself so that they were always in each other's way, never having a chance to surround her. That and using phantom Beowolves to even the odds.

 _Fuck those Beowolves._ Was a thought he'd had more than once today.

Oh, and the link. She was drawing on the link. His very, very dumb idea, to get some more practice with it. As it turned out, the girl could put some Aura to use.

Still, he could see the sheen of sweat on her forehead as she pushed Ren back with a grunt, before driving a spinning kick into the boy's stomach, sending him flying back towards him, skidding to a halt at his feet.

"How's your day going?" He quipped as he pulled his friend to his feet.

"Oh, you know, it's been so-so." The ninja responded, rubbing along his ribs with a wince.

"Maybe Nora's having better luck." He offered. An explosion and a yelp shot that theory down, as Nora crashed down beside them.

"Hi Nora."

"Hi Jauney." She groaned, sprawled out on her back.

"How you doing down there?"

She sat up and shook her head. "Meh, I've had better Thursdays." She turned her head to side, and spat some blood on the ground before grinning. "There are less Beowolves in the world now though. Also, she's slowing down."

"Yeah." He agreed. She was definitely trying to hide how hard she was breathing.

"Not to be a downer-"

"It's why we love you Renny." Nora comforted.

"-But WE'RE slowing down. We've been at this for hours." The boy a finished with a sigh and a small glare at the knight, making it clear who's Aura reserves he blamed for that.

He hummed. "I think I've got a plan."

Ren raised an eyebrow. "Is it a good plan?"

"Maybe?"

"I know you ladies are enjoying your little chat, but can you find time in your busy schedules to get back to the spar?" Winter called.

"We were just commenting on your hair…it looks terrible." He called back.

"Maybe I'll get your sisters to help me braid it after I get finished trouncing you."

Nora snorted at that, earning a look from Jaune.

Ren shook his head and sighed. "Anyway…the plan?"

Jaune perked up at that. "Right! The plan. The well thought out plan. The best pl-"

"Jaune!"

The blond chuckled. "Nora, explosions if you please."

She shot him a mock salute.

"Ren, I'm going to need you to rush her. I think I know which direction she's going to go."

His friend cocked an eyebrow at that. "How's that?"

He shrugged. "Aura stuff? I dunno. I'll bring the fight to her, distracting her, and then Nora…do you thing."

She grinned. "I approve of this plan."

"I'm going to summon a Goliath now. You've certainly given me the time." Winter warned.

Jaune tsked. "Sounds like our cue. Go!"

Nora's grenade launcher popped up, sending a volley of shells through the air that Winter caught in a glyph, eyes narrowing as she prepared to toss them back.

 _Shit!_

"Ren!" He called out in a panic, but the boy in green was already ahead of him, targeting the explosives, and shooting them in place, kicking up a cloud of dust the ninja charged through. He was right behind him, his legs pumping as he rushed into the smoke and dust, his shield held high. He could hear the clash of steel on steel ahead of him, could _feel_ that she was going to go right. He wasn't sure why, but it just felt…right. Ren cursed ahead of him, and he assumed the boy went down. He peeled out from the smoke, coming face to face with his team lead, her eyes wide with shock.

 _Got you._

He swung, forcing her blade up to parry, and he brought his shield around to catch her as she pulled back. He knew she would pull back. He could _feel_ it.

Strangely enough, he also felt her elbow as it dug into the side of his cheek, whipping his head to the side and driving him back as she swept his feet out from under him.

 _Dammit!_

Winter tsked, planting her foot on his chest. "You think it only goes one-way Arc?"

He laughed. "I'm not who you need to worry about."

She squinted in confusion as Nora appeared behind her, hammer cocked and ready to swing, as her eyes gleamed. He had several words to describe the sequence of events that happened next.

Unfair. Bullshit. Physically impossible. All of those fit pretty well.

The angle at which Winter bent her spine in order to dodge Nora's swing hurt him to _think_ about. She allowed the hammer to pass over her, brushing her hair as it passed, before knocking the ginger girl aside with a swing of her own.

 _We're not losing this_. Jaune determined, as he pushed up on the off-balance Specialist, causing her to stumble backwards. She yelped as he tackled her to the ground, holding desperately onto her legs. He heard some rather unladylike things pass through her lips as her short blade freed itself from the hilt of her saber.

"Ren!" He roared, as a green blur slammed into the woman's arm, pinning the smaller blade to the ground. Nora followed shortly after, grabbing Winter's saber arm and wrestling it to the ground. The Specialist continued to shift and struggle beneath them, till he called out those fateful words…

"Nora, lick her!"

"I give! I give! The match is yours!" Winter shrieked, as the craned her head away from the pinkete's outstretched tongue. "Jaune! Call her off!" She begged.

"Nora, pack it in." He laughed, as he rolled off her legs.

"Awww." Nora whined, letting go of the woman's arm. "We were bonding, Jauney."

Winter snorted as she made her way to her feet, brushing herself off. "Please save that type of 'bonding' for your boyfriend."

"We're not-" Ren and Nora started at the same time.

"-together together. Yes, we're all painfully aware of your commitment issues." Winter quipped as she rolled her eyes.

Ren coughed into his hand. "I'm afraid that you might have the wrong idea…"

She shot the boy a look, before shaking her head and looking to Jaune.

"I don't get paid for drama. That's all you."

He rolled his eyes. "I was told you're supposed to be in charge of the health of the team. Mental health included."

"People say a lot of things." She shot back.

"I'm saying that you just got your ass handed to you by a bunch of kids. The B-team at that." They heard a familiar voice call from the edge of the clearing.

Winter sighed. "Qrow. Ever unwanted, but always on hand. Are you sure your Semblance isn't just being a bad penny?"

The grey Hunter shrugged. "Honestly? Close enough. You sure yours isn't the ability to get that stick so far up your ass?"

Winter mocked gasped. "Oh no! A sexual retort! How unexpected." She finished in deadpan. "Why don't you do us all a favor, and-"

"I'm not here for you." He interrupted.

"Thank the Gods."

He snorted. "Don't ask like you're not disappointed. I'm here for the kid."

"I feel like I should file a sexual harassment complaint on his behalf."

"Har har. You done?"

She hummed. "Almost." She turned back towards her team, proud smile in place. "While…unorthodox, your tactics were effective. You did good team."

"YES!" Nora cried with a hop, pumping her arm in the air.

Winter shook her head and motioned to Qrow. "When you're not with…this, I'd like to speak with you, Jaune." She scowled as she reached out a wiped a trail of blood leaking from his lip, drawing a hiss from the boy.

"And you accuse me of harassment." Qrow drawled.

The Specialist opened her mouth to retort, but Jaune beat her to it.

"I got it boss. I'll find you later. I've got the old bird." He finished with a smile at the older man.

She shrugged. "Very well, enjoy your 'mentor moment,' I'm going to go find something useful to do." She said, as she stared to walk back towards camp.

"Love you too Ice-Queen." Qrow called after her, earning himself a one-finger salute over her shoulder. The man chuckled. "Some people just can't be helped."

Jaune raised an eyebrow. "You two seem to be getting along better."

"We had a moment."

"Did it involve booze?"

"…"

The blond sighed. "Dammit Qrow."

"It wasn't like that! I've been dry since we got here!" He defended.

Nora snorted. "Imma put you on the wagon and tie you to it."

"Listen, I don't need a lecture from team pitiful." Qrow snapped back.

"Yes," Ren drawled, "I'm sure you're quite familiar with the concept." He teased.

"Buncha brats." Qrow growled.

"What did you need?" Jaune asked, smirking at his friend.

The Hunter ran a hand through his hair. "It's, uh, a private matter."

Jaune cocked an eyebrow. "Nothing is private from the team. That includes you by the way."

Qrow smirked. "Well, color me honored to be roped in with the losers."

"Lovable losers." Nora clarified.

Qrow shook his head. "Alright, alright. Listen kid, Oz wants a team leader meeting today. You, me, Short-Stack, and himself."

"Why do I get the feeling that this 'team leader' meeting originally only involved Ruby?"

Qrow sighed. "I'm not getting into this with you right now, kid."

"You're not saying I'm wrong."

"And I'm not saying you're right. You coming or not?"

Jaune nodded. "When and where?"

The older man hummed. "Give me like an hour and come find us over by the Ursa camp. There's a set of supply tents to the east that are pretty quiet."

The blond sighed. "Yeah, sounds good to me."

"Great, it's a date."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"You're a riot kid." The Hunter quipped, as he turned and began walking back towards the main camp, waving over his shoulder. "See you in an hour."

"Dress nice!" Jaune shouted after him, earning a snort from Nora.

"Well Jaune-Jaune, what you going to do in the meantime?" She asked.

He flopped back down on the grass and sighed. "Sleep sounds good."

The pinkete leaned over him. "You're not going to wash up for your date?"

He hummed. "Maybe. Why don't you go ahead and head back to camp, I'll catch up to you."

She shrugged. "You heard FL, Renny, let's head-"

"Actually, if you can leave Ren, we're kinda overdue a bro talk."

She raised an eyebrow. "It's every talk with you a BRO talk?"

He chuckled. "I guess that's true now."

She nudged him playfully with her boot. "Well, just make sure you don't make Qrow too jealous. Renny is easy to talk into things, and I don't want you pressuring him."

The dark haired boy scoffed. "I don't think I'm that easy to-"

"Did we or did we not own a pet sloth for a while?"

He coughed and looked away.

Jaune raised an eyebrow. "I need to hear this story."

The girl tsked. "Not while you're having boys only chats with Renny. What are you going to ask him, how to get Yang to love on you even harder?"

"Phrasing Nora." Ren cut in.

Jaune laughed waved from his place on the ground. "Bye Nora."

She grinned and started to skip away. "Bye FL. Be gentle with Renny!"

He shook his head as he watched her go, patting the ground beside him and signaling for his friend to take a seat. The green boy flopped down beside him.

"What is it Jaune?"

Jaune stared out into the forest, contemplating his answer for a moment.

"Things got bad in Banner, huh?" He finally decided on.

His brother nodded. "Yeah."

"Kinda makes you think, doesn't it?"

The boy hummed. "Are we going somewhere with this?"

The blond sighed. "I'm trying to build to a point."

Ren gave him a small smile. "You're not terribly subtle about it."

"Damn, and here I thought that was my strong suit."

The ninja chuckled. "I'm afraid not."

Jaune shrugged. "Well, I tried. You want the blunt version?"

"By all means."

"You and Nora need to be together together."

He raised an eyebrow. "My, that is blunt."

"So?"

"I don't believe so."

"Any particular reason why not?" There was no anger in his voice, no judgement.

"Jaune…you don't understand."

"I hear that a lot. It's mostly true, but it always true if you don't talk to me about it."

The boy sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You've got a family waiting for you. But Nora and I? We're all each other has anymore." He winced. "I didn't mean that you don't-"

Jaune raised a hand. "It's different, I get it."

The boy relaxed. "I just…I can't afford to lose that, Jaune. Especially because I get greedy and want more. What we have is enough…even if it doesn't feel like it sometimes."

"Is it enough for her?"

"I'm not sure what you mean."

Jaune snorted. "Come on, we both know you're smarter than me. You see the way she looks at you."

A silence settled over the two as they stared out into the distance. Finally, Jaune sighed and spoke.

"Let me try explaining it a different way. You know what was between Pyrrha and me right?, Or rather what didn't get to be."

He waited for his friend to nod before continuing.

"I let that pass me by. I hated myself for it for a long time. Honestly, I still might a little. But you know what saved me too, right?"

"Yang."

He nodded. "And I get scared of screwing that up all the time. Or her getting hurt." He shuddered. "Gods, but if she got hurt because of me…"

Ren rested a hand on his shoulder. "Jaune, it's ok."

The blond shook his head and smiled in thanks. "Yeah, sorry, getting off topic. Look man, when we were pulling out of Banner, I was drained. I had nothing left. I was just so damn tired of it. The fighting, the dying, the anger. There was only one thing that made it ok, and that's who I had in my arms." He sighed. "I can't promise you that something won't go wrong, but…I'm happy with my choice. That's all I wanted to tell you."

Ren hummed. "I'll think on what you've said, but…maybe I'm not as a brave as you."

Jaune laughed. "If that's the case, we're all in trouble."

The ninja shook his head and held out his hand. "Well, I'll tell you one thing for sure, I'm not brave enough to keep Nora waiting any longer."

The blond grinned as he took his friend's hand. "You and me both, brother."

* * *

Blake was having hard time remembering Yang being this excited, which was saying something. Well, excluding times not involving a certain blond knight.

"So you guys are mercenaries!? Soldiers of fortune? That's so cool!" The blonde brawler cried as she leaned across the table set up in the Alert facility.

Coco chuckled. "I mean, it _sounds_ really cool, but you'd be shocked at how boring it is."

Yats grunted from his place beside her. "Boring means safe, which is always preferable."

Blake couldn't see the girl's eyes, but got the distinct feeling that she was rolling them.

"Yeah, yeah, big guy. We get it, 'order is always preferable to chaos.' What else you got for us? Are my lucky numbers 7, 23, and 30?" She quipped.

Yang snorted as the giant shift uncomfortably in his seat. "I do not sound like that." He said.

"Suuurrreee." The girl in brown mocked as she pinched at his cheeks. "Don't worry, we still love you, you giant fortune cookie."

"We don't even make those. You Valerians thought it was 'cool.'" He grumbled.

Coco pulled down her glasses and winked at them. "Isn't he adorable when he pouts?"

Yang smirked. "How'd you guys get started anyway?"

Yats cleared his throat. "That's a lengthy tale. Well, in the aftermath of the Beacon incident, we determined-"

"We were poor. We saw that people were willing to pay top lien for Grimm extermination. We ain't poor no more." Coco finished for him.

He glared at her. "I'd like to think that there were a few more noble motivations than that."

"Oh yeah. People needed help and all that too."

Weiss just shook her head. "Well, I for one think it shows initiative that you managed to start your own business…regardless of motives."

Coco raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? I don't think your big sis agrees."

The ex-heiress pulled back. "Winter? I can't see her being unpleasant."

"She didn't look too thrilled when we were pulling out of Banner."

The girl in white scoffed. "It was trying times. If she had been calmer, you would have gotten a different reaction."

"Where's Adel?" They heard a familiar voice call from the entrance of the facility.

"You were saying?" Yang teased, as they turned to see Winter standing in the door, scanning over the room.

"She does not appear pleased." The giant of a man commented.

"Gee Yats, you think?" Coco quipped, before raising her hand and waving. "Yo! Tin-woman. Over here."

The Specialist scowled as she began walking over to their table. "I'd like to speak with you."

The younger Huntress spread her arms wide. "I'm right here."

The scowl deepened. "Alone."

"Kinky."

"Adel, let's go." Winter commanded.

The girl in brown slipped out of her chair and stood eye to eye with the Specialist.

"I don't work for you Tinny."

"My name is Winter." She growled back.

"And mine's Coco. What do you want?"

"I want you to understand how to command structure works here. You're going to need it, if you plan on sticking around."

Coco tsked. "Well, the money's right, but the company could be better. I'll think about it."

"You're in or you're out. No one is dancing around while lives are on the line. Are you working with us or not?"

The other girl leaned in. "Maybe we will get out. Leave you to your little campaign here. It's going great by the way, really killing it out there."

"Then Atlas thanks you for your service. The door's that way."

Coco scoffed. "What stick do you have up your ass anyway?"

"The one that involves unlicensed mercenaries running around my camp."

"We saved your ass!" Coco snapped.

"And I've thanked you. Now, what we're going to do next is find out where you fit in the order of things."

"I think that I've got a pretty good idea. Maybe you want me to show you?" Coco growled.

Winter blinked, then tilted her head to the side. "Are you…threatening me?"

"And if I am?"

Winter snorted, before bursting out into laughter. Coco shifted uncomfortably in place.

"Um…I."

Winter shook her head. "I'm sorry, it's just been so long! Please, continue."

"I-."

"Oh! Tell me the part about you being the youngest to ever become a Specialist." Winter slapped a hand on the younger girl's shoulder, giving it a hard squeeze. "Or maybe about how you have a camp full of trained killers backing you up." She snapped her fingers. "I know! What about how there's a glyph beneath my feet right now? No, don't look down! You'll spoil it!" She said, as she brought her hand up under Coco's chin, tilting her head up. She leaned in close, staring into the girl's eyes.

"Oh, I forget, that's all me." She said coldly. "I want you to listen, and listen good _Coco_. I'll try to put it in terms you understand. I'm the boss here, and if you _ever_ get confused about that, you come find me." She smiled brightly. "Do we understand each other?"

The girl gawked at her for a moment, mouth working wordlessly, before breaking out into a grin.

"I think I'm in love. You're a bad bitch _. Ma'am_."

Winter smirked. "I have that effect on people and yes, I am. Now, you're late for your in briefing with Chief Zane. Best hurry."

Coco shrugged and turned to her team. "You heard the boss lady, I guess we're moving out."

The rest of CFVY groaned and made their way to their feet, slowly making their way towards the door. Velvet waved cheerily as she headed out, while Fox grunted at them. Only Yats stopped in front of Winter, bowing to the woman.

"It's an honor to meet you, Specialist Schnee."

Winter shot a glance over to Coco.

"I approve of him."

The girl smiled and nudged the large man. "Yeah, we like him too."

"Tick tock, Ms. Adel."

The girl in brown leaned over to the giant. "She's a fan." She mock whispered.

"Bye Ms. Adel."

The girl sighed and started walking towards the exit. "Bye boss lady. See you soon." She said as she aimed a swat at the woman's rear that Winter caught.

"Chief will fill you in on the sexual harassment policy as well."

"I tell you Yats, nobody wants to have any fun." The girl grumbled as she walked off.

Winter shook her head and took a seat beside her sister. "Some people."

"Well, you are an acquired taste." Weiss informed her.

Blake snorted. "If there has ever been a case of the pot calling the kettle black…"

Weiss scoffed. "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you over your past as a terrorist. Was there something you'd like to share?"

"You're right, I should be running a giant faunus rights violation instead." The dark-haired girl quipped.

"To be fair, we've both been disowned." Winter said.

"And I'm not a terrorist…anymore."

"But you did date Adam. I feel like that's bonus points on the poor life choices spectrum." Yang added.

Blake sighed. "Thank you, _partner._ I appreciate your input."

The blonde shrugged. "Hey, I'm here to help."

"No one needs your brand of help."

Weiss hummed. "I appreciated her input."

"I agree." Winter added.

Blake rolled her eyes. "Shocking."

Yang wrapped an arm around her friend. "Awww, is kitty grumpy?"

"I will stab you."

Yang sighed as she let the girl go. "As exciting as that sounds, I actually need to talk to Winter here. Alone."

Weiss sighed. "Did we not just go through this song and dance? Can there be no peace in this camp?"

Yang rolled her eyes. "Relax Weiss-cream. I just wanna talk."

She snorted. "I've heard that one before."

"Weiss." Winter cut in. "I can take care of myself, and I don't believe your friend means any harm." She shot a meaningful look towards Yang, who nodded eagerly.

She huffed. "Fine. Blake, let's go somewhere and be sane together."

"Did that hurt you to say?" The faunus quipped.

"Fine, let's go somewhere and I'll be sane." Weiss corrected as she rose. "Try to be cordial." She pleaded as she made her way to the other side of the room.

Yang just shook her head. "She always expects the worst of me."

"Oh? I thought she was talking to me." Winter responded, before looking to the blonde. "You wanted to talk?"

Yang smiled nervously. "Yeah…I did."

"And?"

"I saw what you did with Blake…I appreciate it. I know she does too."

"I'm capable of realizing when I might have overreacted. Is that all you wanted? There really wasn't any need."

The blonde sighed. "Look, I'm not really any good at this, but I think…I want to apologize."

Winter raised an eyebrow. "You think?"

"See? I told you I wasn't very good at this." She groaned.

Winter chuckled. "Truth be told, I'm not either."

Yang gave her a small smile. "I've been…a bit of bitch towards you." Winter gave her a confused look. "Well, not always towards you, but because of you. I don't know why, I just-" She growled. "I don't know."

Winter smirked. "I may have some experience with being a bit of a bitch."

Yang laughed. "I saw. That was awesome by the way."

"Perhaps a bit overboard."

Yang shook her head. "Coco loved it. She was just pushing your buttons, seeing what you'd do."

"Apparently, become overly territorial."

"I'm familiar with the feeling."

"Our local knight, then?"

The blonde nodded slowly. "Yeah. I uh, may have gotten a wee bit jealous when I we got here."

"I've never made a move on your relationship." The Specialist pointed out.

"No, it's not you, it's me." Yang rushed out, before chuckling at the realization of what she'd said. "Wow, that's a tired line." She sighed. "Maybe it's a little you."

Winter raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Yang hummed. "You're just…you're TOO good, you know?"

"I have several reports from your uncle to the contrary."

Yang smiled. "Yeah, he's a harsh critic. Also, maybe not your best source. But you…you're beautiful, you're successful, you're smart, you're elegant." She winced. "You're a lot of things I'm not. A lot of things that Jaune likes. You kinda scare me in that way."

Winter leaned forward in her seat. "You're scared of me? As in you're afraid that I have something that you don't, and we're competing in some way?"

"It's dumb. I know it's dumb."

The older woman scoffed. "It's a little dumb, but frankly, I'm just flattered."

"Ummm, why?"

Winter snorted as she took a seat across from her. "Let me let you in on a little secret. We have something in our tent called 'Yang time,' Jaune assured me you'd appreciate the pun. Do you know what that is?"

Yang gave her a small smile a shook her head. "No."

"Jaune gets an hour to talk about you when he gets back to the tent. One hour, because otherwise, he'd never shut the hell up." She threw her hands up in the air. "Yang's so cool, Yang's so smart, Yang's so gorgeous, Yang's hair looks amazing when it crackles and glows with her Semblance, she's such a good sister, my sisters will love her, I love her." She sighed. "It literally NEVER ends. So, when that girl says she's jealous of me?" She shrugged. "It's good for my self-esteem."

The blonde-haired girl blushed and looked away. "I'm not sure if I want to kiss or kill him."

Winter shrugged. "That's on you. Just leave me out of it."

Yang eyed the older woman. "Like you stayed out of it when Jaune and I had our little impromptu rendezvous?"

The Specialist huffed. "Jaune told."

The brawler grinned. "Jaune is a terrible secret keeper."

"Well then, I assume we'll just have to return the favor." She smirked. "I assume that you have embarrassing stories from your time linked with him. Care to swap some?"

Yang's grin grew to impossible portions as she leaned across the table.

"Do I?!"

* * *

Jaune felt a chill run down his spine. Somewhere, someway, a female in his life was betraying him.

He just knew it.

He shook his head and tried to focus. He'd come to the meeting early for a reason. Whatever advantage he could get in this discussion, no matter how small, was one he'd need. And so, he'd come early, both the scout out the area, and so they were coming to _him._

"You get anxious too?"

He almost jumped out of his skin as he spun to meet the voice, letting out a relieved breath when his eyes fell on a surprised Ruby. She smiled sheepishly at him.

"Sorry, didn't mean to sneak up on you."

He laughed. "You're hanging out with Blake too much."

"Maybe…or maybe you're just not used to thinking so hard." She teased.

He smiled. "Can't it be both?"

She laughed. "Penny for your thoughts?"

He sighed. "Rubes…you ever get…frustrated with all this? The secrets I mean?"

She hummed. "Yeah. I mean, we should all be on the same team, right? Us vs Salem. There's only two ways this ends that I can see." She said.

He nodded. "I just…I feel like we're not in the 'circle of trust' half the time. I can't stand the thought of someone getting hurt because of it." He ran a hand through his hair. "Thanks for asking for me to be here by the way."

She waved it off. "Thanks for coming. I would have been nervous on my own." She shifted uncomfortably for a moment. "Though, if we're being honest, there's a few things that I'm ok with being secrets…for now."

It clicked. "The silver eyes."

She nodded. "It's a lot of pressure. I don't even know how they work, but I feel like everyone's relying on me to figure it out. I'm…nervous about it spreading any further." She sighed. "Maybe that's selfish."

He scoffed and put a hand on her shoulder. "Not at all. People keep talking about legends and myths when they talk about your eyes, that shit would drive me crazy." He squeezed her shoulder. "But you're just Rubes to us, always will be."

She gave him a weak smile. "Thanks."

"No problem. How are you feel-"

"Nope! You already chose one. You don't get to go the Tai route!"

Ruby groaned. "Drunkle Qrow! It's not like that!"

The man shook his head as he walked up to them, Oscar in tow.

"Sure looks like that."

"Well it's not!" She shouted back.

Jaune raised an eyebrow. "Or maybe it is? Who knows?"

Oscar snickered as Ruby's jaw dropped in betrayal and Qrow growled.

"Not sure why I tolerate you kid."

"Pretty sure it's because I'm one of the only people alive that can tolerate you."

"Hey, we can fix that alive part." The older Hunter offered.

Oscar shook his head and looked to Ruby.

"Is this their mating dance?"

She shuddered. "Oh Gods, the mental pictures."

Jaune laughed. "Well, now that we're finished scarring everyone. How you doing Oscar?"

The boy shrugged. "I think I'm still breathing."

Jaune smiled. "Then we're in the same place." He held out a fist to the boy, which he merrily bumped. "You did great out there man, I think I might owe you one."

"I'll hold you to that."

"How does a sparring session later sound? I've always wanted to get my ass kicked by a twelve-year-old."

The boy scoffed. "Fourteen and a half, and you're on."

Qrow rolled his eyes. "We gotta get this over with before I get diabetes." He nudged Oscar. "You sure you're feeling up to it kid? I'm not going to force you."

The boy nodded. "Yeah, I think I'm good. Can you just give me a minute?"

The Hunter nodded back. "Take your time, kid."

Oscar closed his eyes, and a scowl overtook his face. The three looked on with fascination and concern as the young man grunted and sweated, till his eyes snapped open with a flash of light, and he panted heavily. Qrow reached out and rubbed the boy's back.

"Oz?" He asked carefully.

The headmaster nodded. "Yes, but I'm afraid we don't have much time. Qrow, could you please start us off? I need a moment."

"Sure." He turned towards the two team leaders. "Ok, let's skip to the good part. A lot of shit went down in Banner, and we need to sort it with a quickness. By my count, we've got Specialist weapons in terrorist hands, Grimm avoiding the Fang, and a VERY public use of the silver eyes. Thanks for the save by the way Short-Stack."

The girl smiled. "Always."

Qrow shot her a smile, before steeling himself. "We got any ideas?"

Jaune shrugged. "Is there any history of the Grimm acting that way?"

Ozpin sighed. "Not without Salem being directly involved."

"What about that one guy? Marlin?" Qrow asked.

The headmaster hummed. "Merlot. His research was along those lines, but he died in the Mountain Glenn incident."

"Could someone have picked up the torch?" Jaune asked.

Qrow shrugged. "Anything's possible Angst-Knight. I just can't think of anyone that fits the bill."

Ozpin winced. "There was one."

"You guys gonna fill us in, or…" Ruby cut in.

Qrow sighed. "Jimmy's old partner. Guy was mad as a fuckin hatter, but he was a tech wiz. Might explain the weapons too."

"This guy got a name?" Jaune asked.

The Hunter grunted. "Arthur Watts. Weapons grade asshole. The only issue with that theory, is that Jimmy dropped the bastard himself."

Ruby shifted uncomfortably. "Why?"

"The revolution was dirty Short-Stack. Real dirty. Even after it was over, there were power struggles. If it helps, the running conspiracy theory was that Watts is to thank for all Jimmy's spare parts. Legend goes that he was the one that set up a bomb at the peace accords that the old Council and Jimmy had set up. Didn't like the idea of being in old Ironwood's shadow after it was all said and done." He winced. "That added another month onto the war. The worst one, cause nobody thought it was ending with anything other than an unconditional surrender anymore."

"Shit." Jaune hissed.

"IF he survived, it's possible." Ozpin agreed. "I'm sure James is of the same mind."

Qrow hummed. "Which brings us to the cyborg elephant in the room."

Ruby cocked her head to the side. "What about him?"

The Hunter grimaced. "We're hearing that he's coming here."

"Why?" Jaune asked.

"Officially, one of his towns was just destroyed, he'd be lax in his duties as a commander not to come assess the situation personally, make sure that the citizens of Banner are being cared for." Ozpin answered, before sighing. "Unofficially, I believe he might have other interest in mind as well."

"Me." Ruby said glumly.

"Quite, Ms. Rose."

"Jimmy's not the type to make a direct play for you, but he'll try to talk you into it. He's going to want to make you into a public figure, a beacon. I don't know if you've wandered near the refugee camp Short-Stack, but you're the talk of the town…so to speak. They've even got a name for you."

"I know." She whispered.

Jaune looked between the two in confusion. "What is it?"

"Azrael. It's the angel of death and renewal in some of the older Atlesian religions." The Hunter explained. "Sorry Rubes, but this is out. We'll try to keep it as contained as possible, but word of this will spread eventually, with or without Jimmy's help."

The girl hung her head, and Jaune placed a hand on her back, before looking pleadingly up at Qrow.

"Are we good?"

Qrow winced and nodded. "Yeah, I think so. You good Oz?"

"Yes, I believe we are." The headmaster agreed. "Ms. Rose, know that you won't face the fallout of Banner alone we will be here for you, whatever comes of it."

"Thank you." She said weakly.

With that, Ozpin gasped, and his eyes flashed once more, before the boy collapsed to his knees. Oscar panted frantically as he looked around nervously.

"You ok, kid?" Qrow asked, helping slowly to his feet.

Oscar swallowed and nodded. "It's just…harder now. To go back and forth."

The older Hunter shared a quick look with the blond knight, before saying.

"Let's get you some place you can lie down. Sleep it off for a bit. Always helps me with hangovers."

"Yeah…yeah, that sounds good." The boy responded tiredly, before allowing himself to be led off.

Jaune frowned as he watched the two go, mind racing to try to figure out what it all meant.

"You're worried about him." Ruby stated from beside him.

He sighed. "I'm worried about a lot of things right now Rubes. I just don't want to see Oscar get hurt, you know?"

"Yeah, me too." She agreed.

They stood there, for the first time in a long time, in an awkward silence. It was almost enough to make him laugh. When had been the last time? The dance? Gods, but that seemed an eternity ago.

"Hey Jaune?" A voice stirred him from his thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"There's uh, something else that's been bothering me, and…well, I was gonna ask Qrow, but…I thought you might be able to understand better."

He turned towards her fully and gave her a small smile. "Of course, Rubes, whatever you need. What's up?"

She shuffled from foot to foot, not meeting his eyes.

"Ruby, we're team JNRR. You can tell me anything." He comforted.

She shot him a look. "It's RNJR. JNRR isn't a color." He watched as some of the tension flowed out of her, and she let out a slow breath. "Back at Banner, we were trying to find survivors. Trying to get them to the bullheads, you know?"

He nodded slowly, and waited for her to continue.

She grimaced. "It was pretty bad. We had to go house to house, and in a lot of the houses…people didn't make it."

"Ruby I-." She held up a hand, stopping him.

"But we pushed on. We had to, right? But we started to get tired, we started to let things slip. Not checking a corner, walking too far out in the open…" She trailed off, before shaking her head and steeling herself again. "Blake was walking out of a house, and she didn't see him. I saw him, sitting on the rooftop across the street. She was too far away for me to get her attention above all the noise, so I..." She swallowed. "I shot at him." Her eyes met his, desperately searching for something. "Jaune, I don't think he had Aura." She whispered.

An image flashed in his mind. A shield falling again and again on a silver-haired man as he struggled…till he struggled no more. He remembered the flood of emotions. The pride, the horror, the doubt.

He was on her in an instant, wrapping her in a tight embrace. "It's ok. It's ok." He promised.

He could feel her shoulders rack up and down as she pressed into him.

"I just..I had to! He was going to hurt her!"

"I know." He whispered as he stroked her hair.

"I got scared!"

"I know."

She pushed back against his chest, and looked with pleading eyes. "What am I supposed to feel?" She asked.

The answer broke his heart.

"I don't know."

Her form slumped against him, and he caught her chin, tilting her head up.

"But I'll tell you what I do know. You're still the same Ruby Rose. You think I'm still the same Jaune Arc, right? After what I did?"

She sniffled. "Of course."

"Then we'll figure the rest out together. Qrow helped me. Told me it was ok to be confused, ok for it to stick with you."

"How long does it stay with you?"

He shook his head. "That's one of those things we're going to have to figure out together. You know how else helped me?"

"Yang?" She guessed.

He smiled at her. "Got it in one. I think you should tell her. I'll be there if you want."

She nodded.

"Yeah, ok. Why don't you go find her? I'll be by in minute, I promise, I just gotta take care of something for the team."

She nodded again. "Yeah, ok." She turned and slowly started off, before turning over her shoulder. "Hey, Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. See you in a second?"

He smiled. "Arc word."

She smiled at that, and headed back towards the camp, a bit more spring in her step this time.

He sighed. "Thanks for waiting."

Winter winced as she slid out from behind a nearby tent. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. I needed to find you, and Nora had said…"

He held up a hand. "It's ok, I get it. When did you get here?"

She sighed. "At the end of her story. If it's any consolation, you did well. That's never easy."

"I appreciate it. I feel like the blind leading the blind."

Her gaze traveled over him. "I didn't know about you either."

His hand rose to rub his arm uncomfortably as he studied the ground. "I…I don't really like to talk about it."

She nodded. "I understand. If you decide you want to…"

"Thanks." He whispered.

"Of course."

He looked up at her. "What was it that you wanted to talk about."

She frowned. "This is terrible timing."

He chuckled. "Is there another kind I'm unaware of?"

She shook her head. "That is sadly accurate for us. I assume you've heard the rumors that General Ironwood is coming here? Half the camp probably does by now."

"Yeah, I heard."

She hummed. "I have to escort him here. I'm his bodyguard."

He laughed at that. "He seems like a pretty strong guy, I don't know if he really needs one. No offense."

She smirked. "You're right, the position is mostly ceremonial. It's honestly for my benefit, though he'd never admit it."

"How so?"

"I get to be seen by THE General Ironwood consistently, as a member of his inner circle. I think it's his way of setting the stage for me down the line."

Jaune raised an eyebrow. "Wow."

"Wow indeed. Don't worry, I have plenty of opportunities to get fired between now and then."

He shook his head. "Somehow I doubt that'll happen."

She shrugged. "We'll see, but more importantly, that means I won't be here."

He nodded. "Yep."

"And the Beowolves need an officer."

"Who's filling in?"

She stared at him hard. "Jaune, please. You can't be that dense."

He scowled. "I don't…" His eyes widened. "No way!"

"Yes way."

"But Chief!" He argued.

"Will help you every step of the way, but they need someone in the field, someone they know. They need you Jaune."

He swallowed. "I don't know-."

She placed a hand on his shoulder. "But I do. You're ready for this. Everyone gets nervous, being nervous just means you care." She gave him a small shake. "Just try to keep it contained around the team, ok? Stevens will tease you till the end of your days." She joked.

He met her gaze. "Winter…I." He steeled himself. "I won't let you down."

She smiled. "I know. Now, let's make it official, shall we?"

He shifted. "Do I, uh, kneel?"

She scoffed. "I'm not knighting you." She snapped to attention, and he quickly moved to do the same. "I Specialist Winter Schnee, relinquish the leadership of the Beowolves bullhead assault team to Specialist Jaune Arc. Do you accept this responsibility?"

"I do."

She snapped a salute, which he returned, before breaking into an easy smile.

"Now, acting First Class Specialist Arc, I believe you had a mission you were about the execute. One involving meeting with the Ursa team lead?"

He smiled back. "Yeah. Hey Winter?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks."

"Anytime. Now as my last acting command, get going, you're behind schedule already."

He didn't have to be told twice.

* * *

 **Letter to a Father**

Dear Mr. Nikos,

I hope you're doing well. I'm sorry it's been so long since we wrote, but we've been on the road a lot. Got drafted (I think) into the Atlas military, which has been interesting.

Interesting is actually a pretty mild word. We've been teased, shot at, hazed, and trained pretty much non-stop since we got here.

I think Pyrrha would have loved it.

People seem to care about who you are less here, and more about what you can do. It's about what you add to the team. She always loved the team.

Our officer actual kinda reminds me of her. She's famous, strong willed, ridiculously strong, smart, and most importantly - keeps me humble. She is a bit angrier that Pyrrha though...if a bit was roughly the size of a house.

Nora says that she wants you to know that she's going to bring you a flower back from Atlas to add to the gardens.

Ren wants you to know that he'll keep the flower alive for you.

Tell Athena...I'm sorry. I know that's not enough.

I wanted you to know that I remember my promise. I'll bring her weapons home when we're done.

Arc's word.

Your Friend,

Jaune Arc

* * *

Dear Jaune,

You've been drafted? Bad business that. It's been a long time since I was in the military, but remember to pack your shower shoes, and find out what your bunkmates love...and use it as barter material.

It sounds like you're getting the full military experience then, my boy! I'm sure you'll get your head shaved at some point or something. Just try to not let it get too crazy. Wouldn't do to come home with a ridiculous tattoo.

We'd always wondered about suggesting the military for Pyrrha. Get her away from the fame a bit. I'm glad your unit is taking care of you.

It warms an old man's heart to hear you describe our daughter so. And I wouldn't be so sure about that anger gap. You should have seen some of that girl's temper tantrums. You ever find any of your metal items bent after a tiff? I bet you have.

Tell Nora that we're excited to see it, and we'd be honored to add it.

Tell Ren thank you for ensuring it gets here.

Athena has calmed over the months. Oh, she still acts angry, but your letters have a strange habit of ending up on her side of the counter after I finish with them.

I believe you son. Stay safe, that's all I ask.

Your Friend,

Hephaestus Nikos

* * *

 **JJD: The plot thickens. Things are slowly and inevitably coming to a head, and we'll only keep pressing forward from here. Thanks as always for reading.**

 **Fight Nerd: It's always a weird feeling when someone that you've been teaching gets the better of you. You never mad (not a them, maybe yourself if you got lazy), but it's a weird place between pride and a desire to do better, to maintain your place. I imagine it's what it's like when your kids start beating you at stuff. To be fair to Winter, she was outnumbered three to one.**

 **Also, I'd like to throw a fic recommendation out there. Pathfinder z0mbi3sh0t's recently published "Real Like You,' is a Blade Runner-esque thriller, I which someone at Beacon is not who they seem. Both more and less than human. It's shaping up to be a fun ride!**


	15. Being the Man

***Reads Script* Cr00cy, we put Jaune in charge? Ok, let's roll those dice.**

 **Chapter 14**

 **Being the Man**

* * *

 **W.S. Quote Book Says:** "We cannot become what we need by remaining what we are." **John C. Maxwell**

 **W.S. Playlist Says:** "I don't see myself being special; I just see myself having more responsibilities than the next man. People look to me to do things for them, to have answers." **Tupac Shakur**

* * *

Jaune tapped his foot nervously against the floor of the bullhead as it vibrated beneath him.

 _Breath! It's just a normal mission, you can do this._ He assured himself.

It was a pretty standard mission. Sure, it was the first since Banner, and sure, it was his first ever as the team lead, but it was just Grimm extermination. He had a small chuckle at that. When had he started thinking of taking out Grimm as routine?

He sighed. All they had to do, was go in, clear out the Grimm that were getting too close to camp, probably drawn by the mass of refugees, and then get out. What was so hard about that? Except, you know, that it was the dead of night, and pitch black outside.

He wheezed and stared down at his boots, fairly certain that his current wave of nausea had nothing to do with his usual motion sickness.

"Hey." Sam whispered as she nudged him with her knee.

He looked over to the red-head. "Yeah?"

Her gaze shifted around wearily. "Are you like, super nervous about this?"

He gave her a small smile. "Yeah."

She let out a long breath. "Oh thank the Gods! I thought it was just me!"

He chuckled. "Samantha Birger? Nervous? I never thought I'd see the day."

She dug an elbow into his side. "You're as bad as Stevens! And of course I'm nervous, I've never been in the second slot before." She glanced over to Stevens, who was busy checking over his rifle. "That was always Pete's slot."

He nodded. "I get you, I kinda feel the same way, but who taught you how to run second slot?"

"Well, Pete, but-."

He bumped her with his shoulder. "Then it sounds like you learned from one of the best. Sam, you're going to do amazing, just like you always do."

She rolled her eyes. "Brothers, where do they grow you corny bastards?"

"Hey! I grew up like the next town over from you." He argued.

"And clearly, corn was a large part of your diet." She said with a smirk. "But...I think they got you right, corny or not. Thanks, Spec."

"Jaune." He corrected.

"First." She corrected back. "Speaking of which, let me ask you the same question, who taught you how to lead the unit?"

He sighed. "Winter."

She nodded. "The First wouldn't leave you in charge unless she knew you had this."

He opened his mouth to retort, but the pilot came over the comms.

" _Specialist Arc, it's time."_

He steeled himself, then found his feet, looking around at his team. He cleared his throat.

"Ok, we're going to run this just like we always have. Stevens and Sam are going set up the firing line, while we…" He gestured to Ren, Nora, and himself, "...move forward to engage. We're going to try to draw the majority into an open area, then bring the bullhead around. I'll try to call the strike, but if we're in too deep with the Grimm, it's going to be Rob that makes the call." He nodded to the older man, who shot him a thumbs up in response. "And remember, you see something going wrong, call it out. Don't assume that someone else has it." He took one more look around the hold. "Any questions?"

When there were none, he nodded to Stevens. "Get them ready."

The large man found his feet, and shouted down the hold.

"You heard the First people, let's get those goggles on. Night vision is the name of the game. We ain't faunus, but we're about to own the night." He waited till the team had started to adjust their gear and pull on their night vision equipment, before looking to Jaune. "Here Spec, let me help you out, the straps on that thing can be weird." He offered.

He moved over to the blond and leaned in close, as he started to help him pull on the mask.

"That was good bro, you're doing fine." He said in a low voice.

"Thanks, but that's all Winter." Jaune whispered back.

Stevens snorted as he adjusted out of the straps. "If it's her, then it's you, that's how it works bro. Now, remember what we talked about?"

"Yeah, the night vision plays with your guy's depth perception, so you're not going to be as effective as we get farther away from the firing line. Try to keep it closer than usual."

"My man!" Stevens grinned. "Ok, what about those cool strobes you got strapped to you?"

"Bullhead can see ok in the dark, but if we can light up the target, we're going to get a better effect."

Stevens leaned in, pretending to examine the fit of his mask. "You got it. Listen bro, I'll tell you the same thing I told Sam. We're a team, you got my back, and I got yours. We stick to that, and we're gonna be fine. Besides, I believe in you." The giant slapped his shoulder as he finished inspecting his equipment. "Looks like you're all squared away, BRO."

Jaune smiled. "I think you mean, 'First.'"

The hold chuckled as Stevens held up his hands. "Yes sir!"

" _Specialist Arc, we're here."_ The pilot's voice cut in.

Jaune let out a slow breath.

 _I can do this._

He keyed his mic. "Can you see them?"

" _Roger that, sir. Looks like they're moving through the treeline, around 200 meters in. There's a clearing that runs along the side."_

"Bring us down in the clearing. They'll come to us."

" _Rog. We'll point you towards them."_

The nod that Stevens gave him was small, but approving.

"You planning on staying with the bullhead the whole way down this time?" Rob teased.

Jaune smiled back. "Yeah, as cool as jumping into complete darkness sounds, I think we'll stay with you guys. Keep you guessing, wouldn't want to be too predictable."

Ricky leaned over to Rob. "See? They can be taught." He stage-whispered.

The older man grunted. "Let's not get carried away."

The bullhead lurched as it started its decent, and its engines shifted themselves toward the ground.

"Ren, Nora." He called out, looking towards the pair.

They were already on their feet, adjusting their gear.

"We're with you F.L." Nora grinned, as she hefted her hammer.

"Or is it BRO now?" Ren asked with a smile of his own.

"Winter's gone for five minutes, and it's chaos in the ranks." He grumbled, as he held out his hand. "Nora? You ready? It's a bit of a rough ride." He warned.

She mock swooned. "He's such a gentlemen Renny!" She grabbed his hand and winked. "Be gentle, it's my first time."

He groaned. "Ren!"

The ninja held up his hands in defeat. "You chose, not me."

The pinkete tsked and squeezed his hand. "Don't keep a lady waiting!"

He sighed, closed his eyes, and reached into the void. He saw her immediately, it was hard not to. Nora stood bright and burned a warm pink against the blackness. He reached out to her, and felt the familiar connection take hold. He open his mouth to instruct her on what to do next, but stopped when he felt a feeling get pushed back his way.

'Found you!' He swore he almost heard the words, before she seized onto him.

What he could only describe as a wave of Nora slammed into him, and he was lost to the void.

 _He could see a woman walking beside him along a small, wooded path. Her hair was a warm orange, just like his own, but her face was a blur. He couldn't be sure, the memory was too old, but he could swear that she was someone important...he just knew it._

 _There were so many of them! She looked around the small rural home, taking in the wave of blonde humanity that surrounded her. They were everywhere, and they were hers, her sisters. She let her head rest against Crystal's shoulder and closed her eyes. She was home._

 _He hadn't eaten in a long time. He wasn't sure how long, but he knew it was days at least. He hadn't had a steady source of food since the monsters had come. He shivered. He hated the monsters. He looked up and saw a sign along the path, 'Kuroyuri village,' it read. Maybe there'd be food there._

 _She just wanted him to understand! But every time she brought it up, it ended in a shouting match._

" _It's what I want!" She'd shout at her father._

" _No! You can be anything but that! Be a cook, a bartender, own a coffee shop, be a goddamn house husband, but you won't be that!" He'd roar back._

 _Why didn't he understand? She wanted to be like him._

 _He watched as her red-haired friend stared longingly at the back of their blond leader. His heart ached for her as she had to watch him go out to try to win another girl's heart. Why didn't she just say something!? Anything!_

 _She watched as her orange-haired friend locked her eyes onto the back of her dark-haired partner, only to snap them away when he looked toward them. She watched the pinkete's body tense, wishing for the boy to come over, then deflate as he moved on. She sighed. Why didn't she just say something!? Anything!_

Jaune gasped for air as he surfaced, looking into the green eyes of his friend.

"Nora, I'm so sorr-."

She hushed him with a gentle finger on the lips.

"That was a long time ago, it's ok." She whispered, before smiling softly. "Besides, I have a family now."

He squeezed her hand. "Always."

She tilted her head to the side. "And...keep a girl's secrets?"

He nodded hesitantly. "You need to…"

"I know, but not now."

"Yeah…"

They felt the aircraft rumble as it begin to settle on the ground. He released her hand, and reached up to turn his night vision goggles on, watching as the ramp began to lower, turning to make sure that his friends were doing the same.

Green.

That was the first thought that hit him as he started out into the newly revealed night. Everything was so green through the goggles lenses, but sure enough, what had once been black nothingness was now a pale and fuzzy green.

"Ooooohhhh, pretty!" Nora said.

He shook his head and started his jog down the ramp. "Stevens, we're going to set up around 30 meters away from the treeline, set up where you can hit off that." He called out.

"Rog, me and Sam got this!" He responded, readying his rifle.

With that, they were off, running through the dimly lit field, carefully avoiding rocks and holes as they moved along, the soft grass muffling their steps. He looked forward to the edge of the tall, pine forest, and picked out their spot. A small hill, a mound would be more accurate, from which they'd better be able to see the horde when it came.

And wasn't that a problem? He realized as they creasted the mound and spaced out, looking into the forest...he had no idea how far away from the Grimm they currently were. His ears strained for the telltale grunts and growls, and hearing none, he whipped his gaze behind them, watching as Stevens, Sam, Ricky, and Rob split into teams of two. One set up behind them and to the left, the other to the right, ensuring that they wouldn't have to shoot over their heads to hit the Grimm.

 _Smart._ He thought, before turning back to the treeline, wishing he knew when they'd come.

" _Foehammer."_ He heard Sam's voice crackle over the comms. _"How far out are they?"_

 _Shit, he should've thought of that!_ He mentally cursed himself. Winter would have.

" _100 meters and closing….80 meters…."_ Their pilot's voice responded.

Jaune took a deep breath, and adjusted his grip on his sword. It was time.

" _50 meters…40."_

He shifted his feet, digging them into the earth. He could hear them now, grunting a growling as the trampled their way through the undergrowth.

" _30….20."_

They were in full view now, their red glowing eyes showing up as spots of bright and sinister green as they weaved through the trees and sprinted towards the clearing. He spotted at least a few dozen Beowolves and a handful of Ursa.

"We've got'em." He said into the mic.

"We've got you." Stevens' response sounded in his ear.

He didn't have time to respond, they were already in the clearing, howling and roaring as they came.

"Nora!" He shouted, just in time to hear the _'thunk, thunk, thunk'_ of the girl's grenade launcher as it spat rounds into the front ranks of the Grimm. He lowered his gaze, as explosions blossomed in the night, flaring bright in his goggles, and dark limbs flew in the now illuminated sky.

The monstrosities were undeterred, rushing through the carnage as they came on. Ren's Storm Flowers coughed as they sprung to life, sending rounds into first line of the Grimm. It was joined by the chorus of the team's rifles as they poured fire into the creatures of darkness, cutting out legs and exploding into chest, creating a temporary barricade for the second wave to climb over. Nora took the moment to shift her weapon, cocking the hammer, ready to swing.

Then, they were on them, their open and drooling maws snapping, growling, and grunting as they slammed into them. His first opponent was an Ursa, who thankfully had its charge slowed by having to climb over its brethren, but still hit him with the force of a truck. His knees bent to absorb the impact as his boots crunched into the earth. The monster tore at his shield with its claws, hungry to rip away any barrier between them. That was ok with him.

He pushed the shield up forcing the creature up onto its hind legs as he slipped underneath it, driving his blade deep into its chest, and digging it around until he felt the flailing creature shudder and still. He grunted as he threw the weight off him, a Beowolf immediately filling his vision as it lunged for him. He stepped to the side, allowing it to sail past and slashed along its belly, sending the monster to the ground behind him in a tumbling mess. It began to rise, before a burst of bullets from the Sam's position slammed into its flank, sending to the ground once more.

He turned to yell to Nora and Ren, to tell them it was time to break of and let the bullhead to make its pass. He caught sight of the pinkete disintegrating a Beowolf with her hammer, a instant later, the slash of black blood filled his goggles. He flailed blindly for a moment, till something very heavy, and very angry caught him in the chest, driving him to the ground, and knocking his sword from his grasp. He held his shield up instinctively, and was rewarded the clang of bone on steel and the scrapping of teeth along its surface. He fought blindly and desperately to keep the plate of steel between himself and the Grimm pinning him to the ground. He could feel its claws slash along his arm as he felt along the earth for his blade, and it dug to get to his face or chest, raising angry welts wherever it touched. He gasped in relief when he managed to catch the lens of his goggles on the back on his shield, and ripped his head downwards, tearing the device from his head.

The sight of the Alpha hovering above him was not a pleasant one, but being able to see anything was a welcome change. His eyes shot to the left, discovering his sword resting just a few scant inches away from his fingertips, useless to him. Instead, he grabbed onto a far more ancient weapon. The crunch the rock made as it slammed into the Alpha's skull has satisfying to him on some very base level, but far more importantly, it sent the Grimm flying off him with a howl of pain. He spun to his feet, grasping Crocea Mors hilt as he rounded on the Beowolf again.

The creature wiped at the freshly bleeding gash above its eye in a surprisingly human gesture, before letting out a low pitched howl. Jaune's gaze shifted to the left and right, as more Beowolves turned in their direction, moving to encircle them in response to the Alpha's call.

 _Yeah, fuck this._

He moved his shield to his chest, palming the strobe there and flicking it on.

"Guys, we're gonna break a my signal. Rob, can you get the bullhead to come around?" He whispered into the mic, taking slow, careful steps back as the Beowolves continued to close, their black forms blending into the night.

" _Foehammer. This is Bravo, prepare for close air support. Over"_ He heard Rob call out over the comms, quickly followed by the crack of his rifle.

" _Bravo. Roger that, we are 30 seconds out. Will we have a marker? Over."_

"Yes!" He cried over the radio as he pulled his arm back and pitched the strobe high in the air, the Beowolves stopping and craning their heads to track the object as it sailed over their heads, and landed at the edge of the forest.

" _Bravo. Foehammer has the marker. Coming in. Out."_

"Nora! Now!" Jaune cried out to his teammate, watching as something jumped into the air. He didn't see her fire, but he heard the ' _thunk, thunk, thunk,'_ as her weapon spoke. He did see the explosions rip into the Beowolf pack. Then he was in motion.

"Go! Go! Go!"

He pumped his legs as he tried to put as much distance between himself and the confused and howling Grimm as possible. He heard two sets of footfalls pounding into the earth behind him, and felt a wave of relief wash over him. One that was quickly replaced by the realization that he couldn't see _anything._ He stumbled in the darkness, and felt a hand reach out and catch him. He opened his mouth to thank them, before the same hand slammed him to the ground...he understood why an instant later.

He listened as the wail of the bullhead's chainguns filled the night air, followed swiftly be roar of rockets tearing themselves out of their pods, creating bright streaks in the night sky before impacting. and illuminating the burning Grimm horde. The shrieks that pierced the night were something he was sure would fuel his nightmares for the next few years at least.

He pushed himself up off the ground as he heard the bullhead's engines once again retreating into the night. He took in the scene before him as well as the flickering bush-fires would allow.

The Grimm had been gutted. The were still a few dark forms that he could make out against the dark of the night, but far, far more lay still on the ground. He tightened his grip on his sword.

They still had work to do.

A hand fell on his shoulder, and he turned to see Ren, his night-vision goggles still firmly in place.

"Can you see anything?" His friend asked.

He shrugged. "Some things are on fire."

The dark-haired boy shook his head. "Maybe leave this one to us?"

He sighed. "How will you manage without me?"

Nora came up on his left, slamming the haft of her hammer into the ground.

"I still have so much Aura!" She half-whispered, staring down at her hand in awe, before throwing her head back and proclaiming to the night. "I. AM. A. GOD!"

Ren snorted. "I think we'll make it work, somehow."

* * *

He felt amazing. Exhausted, but amazing.

He couldn't believe it. He had done it, they had done it. He'd barely been able to pay attention as the intelligence officer rattled off questions about what they'd observed, how the Grimm acted, numbers. He was aware that he had responded. He was even pretty sure that his answers were correct, though he couldn't tell you exactly what they were.

They had done it. They had completed a mission almost flawlessly. A mission HE had led.

It was so surreal.

"Thank you, Specialist Arc, I think I have everything I need." The intel officer said, as he rose from the small folding table they'd been sitting at.

Jaune shook his head as he rose to shake his hand.

"Hey, no problem. Happy to help."

The man nodded, and took his leave, leaving Jaune alone in the small, spartan debriefing room. He took a deep breath, and slowly let it out.

They had done it. HIS team had done it.

His silent celebration was quickly interrupted by voices coming from the hall.

"Is he done?"

"The intel dude just left, of course he's done."

"Then why is he just hanging out in there? It's weird."

He sighed. "I can hear you."

That apparently, was the cue that they had been waiting for. They exploded into the room, Ren, Nora, and the four Beowolves. Nora, unsurprisingly, was the first to reach him, wrapping him in a bone-crunching hug and lifting him off the ground, swinging him from side-to-side, like a ragdoll.

"You did it! We didn't screw up Jauney! We're real people!" She cheered happily.

"Nora...you're…crushing….me." He croaked out.

"Whoops!" She said, opening her arms wide and letting him fall to the floor in a heap. "Sorry about that U.F.L."

He shook his head as he found his feet. "I'm scared to ask, but…"

"Ultra Fearless Leader!" She proclaimed happily.

"...But what if we didn't?"

"Yeah." Stevens agreed, walking over and throwing a headlock on the blond. "He's got a nickname already, BRO."

Jaune pushed the larger man off him playfully. "You know what? U.F.L. is starting to sound better."

The soldier tsked. "Never."

Ren chuckled as he held out a hand. "Congratulations."

Jaune started at the offered hand for a moment, before pulling the smaller man in for a hug.

"Thanks man, for everything."

"Awww." He could hear Sam coo behind them. "They're so adorable!"

"Just imagine what the other three are going to be like." Ricky said.

Jaune scowled at that. "Other three?"

"Why don't you go see, Fearless Leader?" The red-headed soldier teased.

"Hold up." Rob interrupted with a raised hand. "Beowolves first."

Sam tsked. "We already did the thing! Stevens even molested him."

The large soldier coughed. "Hey, I-."

Rob just shook his head. "Stevens sexual habits aside, Chief wanted to talk to you. Good shit out there by the way, Spec."

The knight smiled. "Thanks, Rob. Where's Chief?"

"Right here, First." The dog faunus said as he pushed his way into the room.

The blond shook his head. "That still sounds weird."

Chief Zane chuckled as he made his way over, slapping the young man on the arm.

"Well, you earned it."

Jaune smiled. "Thanks, Chief."

The older man nodded and smiled back. "You did good out there. You brought everyone home. She'll be proud of you."

"Yeah?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong, she'll critique you for an hour. But on the inside? Nothing but pride."

The blond rolled his eyes and laughed. "Oh good."

"Eh, you're pretty sturdy, you'll live." Zane teased, before glancing back to the door. "The same might not be able to be said of me if I keep you from your little fan club."

Jaune raised an eyebrow. "Fan club? Chief, it's like..." He glanced at the wall clock. "One in the morning!"

The Chief smirked. "And I will NEVER let him live it down." He said as he stepped out of the way. "Now, go on...U.F.L."

"Yes!" Nora cried.

Jaune groaned as he started towards the door, passing into the hallway and making his way through the white corridor towards the common room, his boots echoing on the tile floors. The sight that greeted him when he rounded the corner was not what he expected. Heartwarming, but unexpected.

Yang and Ruby sat at one of the long, wooden tables, their heads resting against each other as their shoulders rose and fell steadily, fast asleep. What was far more surprising, was the grey Hunter leaning back against the table and watching him.

"Qrow?" He said, dumbly.

The older man smirked. "Bout damn time, kid." He turned and poked his blonde niece. "Firecracker, your conquering hero is here."

"Wha? Qrow, get-." Her head shot up. "Jaune!"

He laughed as she shook her sister awake, earning a squawk from the younger girl as she popped up.

"I'm awake, Weiss!" She protested, her eyes struggling to focus in on something before finding him. He waved slowly at her.

"Jaune!" She cried, before exploding into rose petals. He wasn't sure who hit him in the chest harder, her or the Beowolf, but the result was the same...him laid out on his back, staring up at the ceiling.

"How'd it go?! Did you guys do good?! I know you guys did good!"

He heard the soft click on camera, and tilted his head to see Sam and Nora off to the side, clicking away with their scrolls. Nora waved him off.

"Just pretend like we're not even here." She assured him, before snapping another picture.

He heard a cough, and stared up into lilac eyes and blonde hair.

"Ruby, if you could get off MY man." Yang teased, as she poked her sister with her boot.

"Stake your claim!" Nora cheered.

Ruby colored, then exploded into petals once more, appearing back by her uncle, who was muttering something about 'second comings.' He laughed and took Yang's offered hand as she pulled him to his feet.

"What are you doing here, Bright-Eyes?" He asked.

She rolled her eyes. "I think that's pretty obvious, we came to greet the conquering heroes."

He scoffed. "I don't think-."

"Entirely accurate!" Stevens called out behind him.

He turned and shot the man a look. "Do you mind?"

The larger man laughed. "Oh, I'm sorry. Were you having a private moment in this extremely public setting? Maybe we can find you somewhere more private, like an open field."

"Nora!" Yang shouted at the pinkete, her cheeks a dark red.

"I didn't say anything!" She protested.

"Holy shit! No way!" Stevens erupted into laughter, before slowly being led off by Ren.

Thank Gods for Ren.

"Get'er BRO!" Stevens called over his shoulder, before exploding into a laughing fit again. "Gods, but I can't wait to tell Pete!"

Jaune sighed and looked back to Yang, who was still quietly fuming.

"Did you know you're pretty when your mad?" He asked.

The girl's blush deepened, and she opened and closed her mouth several times, before Qrow cut in.

"Did you know that your dad used that exact same line on your mom all the time?" He asked his niece.

Jaune's shoulders slumped. "And the moment is gone."

Qrow mock gasped. "Oh no! Did I get in the way? Sorry, I was still adjusting to the news that you banged my niece in the middle of camp."

"Meh, attempted to." Nora called out.

"NORA!" Jaune and Yang yelled at the same time.

The older Hunter rolled his eyes. "Oh, I guess it's all better then."

Jaune sighed. "What brought you here, old man?"

He shrugged. "The girls were going to come anyway, so I figured I might as well come along. Add that First clout if anyone questioned them."

Jaune lit up at that. "Hey! Did you know we're the same rank now? We're like, equals."

"Don't push me, kid."

Chief Zane snorted as he entered the room.

"Please, this old bird came because he's a giant softy. He's been asking for updates for an hour."

"Does no one in this building have anything to do!" Qrow growled. "It's one in the morning. Go to sleep!"

Chief tsked. "You guys are just too entertaining, that's all."

Jaune shot the faunus a look. "Chief..."

The older man sighed. "Yeah, yeah...have fun, but not too much and all that." He grumbled as he started to walk towards the sleeping quarters. "Night."

"Night, Chief." Jaune called back, shifting his gaze towards Nora and Sam, who shrugged and followed after the man.

"Remember to wrap it befor-."

"Night, Nora."

"Night, U.F.L."

He shook his head and looked back to the trio before him, shrugging weakly.

"Sorry."

Qrow sighed and man a head through his hair. "Well Short-Stack, you wanted to see he's alive, and he's alive. Mission success, it's time for bed."

"But Qroooowwww." She whined.

He snorted. "I've already heard more than enough for one night, we're leaving. Firecracker?"

Yang waved at him. "Bye."

He raised an eyebrow. "It's past curfew."

She waved again. "Bye."

He shrugged. "Well, I tried." He said, before started towards the door, pausing as his hand hit the handle.

"Hey, kid."

"Yeah, old timer?"

The Hunter looked back over his shoulder. "You did alright out there."

The blond smile. "Thanks."

The man nodded, then pushed through the door, dragging a tired, but happily waving, Ruby behind him.

Yang let out an explosive sigh. "Fucking finally."

He chuckled. "How you been, pretty lady?"

She lit up. "Better, now that I know you're ok." She said, as she reached out and took his hand.

"Hey, it's nothing that we haven't done before." He comforted with a squeeze of her hand.

"I know, but it's different…"

"Without Winter being there." He finished.

"It's not that I don't believe in you!" She hurriedly assured him. "I just got a little scared." She shook her head. "I don't know…"

He pulled her to him, and wrapped his arms around her.

"Can I tell you a secret?" He whispered.

She rested her head on his chest. "Always."

"I was scared too."

She squeezed him lightly. "You don't need to be."

"I'm scared I'm not good enough." He admitted.

"You're good enough for me." She chided. "And I have high standards." She finished, with a nip at his neck, earning a quiet yelp.

He laughed. "You have weird standards, that's for sure."

"What did I say about putting yourself down?" She asked.

He kissed her forehead. "I think that it wasn't sexy."

"Mm." She agreed. "Also, that I'll break your legs."

He laughed. "Now that, I'm almost sure is all Nora."

"I'm adopting it." She informed him, as she pulled him over to the table, and down onto the bench, settling in next to him. She snuggled into his side and rested her head on his shoulder. "So?"

"So what?" He asked back, wrapping an arm around her.

She yawned. "How'd it go, baby?"

He shrugged. "I guess it went pretty well, I mean, I could've-."

"Jaune." She cut in, looking up at him.

He sighed and smiled. "I...I think I did good. The team did good."

"I know you did good."

He pressed his forehead against hers. "You're too good for me." He teased.

She snorted. "Obviously, but you should just run with it. I know I am." She teased back, letting her head fall against his shoulder again.

"I think I'm ok with that." He said, resting his head on hers.

"Damn right you are." She mumbled.

He frowned. "Baby, are you falling asleep?"

"Trying to."

"You know that there's rules against you sleeping here, right?"

"Not when you're sleeping with the boss man." She shot back.

"Yang, I can't-."

She sighed. "Relax, you goodie two-shoes. I checked, there's rules against me being in the sleeping area, but nothing about me being in the common area. I'm technically in the right."

He chuckled. "Technically correct, huh? Is that even true?"

"Maybe, maybe not. I guess you just have to decide what's more appealing to you. Checking to see if I'm telling the truth…" She shifted into him again. "...or staying here."

He hugged her a little bit closer. "Maybe I'll just rest my eyes for a minute while I think about it."

"Sounds like a plan. Let me know what you decide." She responded sleepily.

"I think I know what direction I'm leaning…" He trailed off, as he closed his eyes, and let sleep claim him.

Some rules were made to be broken.

* * *

For as pleasant as falling asleep had been, waking up was equally unpleasant.

The blaring of alarms stirred him from his slumber, as he scanned the room frantically, trying to figure out what was going on.

"What's happening?" Yang asked groggily from his side.

"I don't-."

"Jauney!" Nora shouted as she burst out of the sleeping quarters. "We gotta go! They found some of the Fang!"

"Shit." He cursed as he found his feet. "We're still on shift?"

"For the next 30 minutes, so this one is all us." She responded. "We need to move!"

"Yeah." He agreed, before leaning down and capturing a shocked Yang's lips. "Wish me luck!" He shouted as he ran off to collect his weapons and armor.

"Good luck!" He heard her call after him.

The next few minutes were a blur. He was strapping on his armor while both shouting questions out and answering them for the team, everyone ensuring that they had the ammo and kit required for the mission.

It'd been too long since THEY got to hit the Fang, and everyone was eager.

The briefing was about what he expected. In the process of sorting through the thousands of refugees and dozen of prisoners, there had been a lead. A lead that led them to a small village just south of the ruins of Banner. Sure enough, a few collections of aerial photos later, and the Fang presence was confirmed. What was more, the Fang were getting ready to move, as in NOW.

Nobody liked being rushed, but nobody was giving up this chance either. They'd been on the back foot too long. As he looked around the hold of bullhead as everyone strapped in, he saw that they were ready, they wanted this.

Stevens shot him a thumbs up as the bullhead's engines roared, and they began climbing upward into the sky. Jaune waited before the aircraft leveled off, and the noise abated a bit before addressing the team.

"Ok guys, this is my first mission leading us against the Fang, but it's not our first mission against them together."

He hoped that sounded as good out loud as it did in his head.

A collection of nods from around the hold told him he was doing alright.

"We're not going to have a lot of cover as they come in, so we're going to need to set down somewhere outside the village if we want to be quiet. Any suggestions?"

"I'm so goddamn proud." Stevens playfully whispered to Sam, earning a grin from the girl and an eye roll from Jaune.

Rob sighed. "I can't believe I'm about to suggest this...but what if we didn't do quiet this time? What if we dropped you in?"

"What?"

The older man raised a hand. "Hear me out. We know that they're getting ready to move out at any moment, right? So, if we try to sneak up, and they're out and about, they're going to dig in. That's either a prolonged or very violent firefight, neither is good for the village."

Jaune nodded slowly.

Rob continued. "So, if we have you guys…" He winced. "Hop out, you can catch them off guard, at least keep them contained till we offload and join you. It's probably not going to be quiet, but it might be quick."

He looked over to Ren and Nora, who nodded and shrugged respectively, before turning back to the man.

"Yeah, I think we can make that happen. Good idea, Rob."

Stevens tsked. "Crazy as all get out is what it is. Where'd you get that shit?"

Rob chuckled. "It's what Irondaddy started hitting us with when he made the assault on the capital. Tore us up something good."

Ricky shook his head. "We ever tell you you're old as dirt, Rob?"

"Once or twice."

Jaune shook his head and turned to the pilot.

"You get all that?"

The man shot him a thumbs up. "One crazy ass plan coming up. I'll give you the signal to jump."

The blond smiled. "Thanks." He glanced over to his teammates. "You two sure you're ok with this?"

Ren raised an eyebrow. "If I recall, you've always been the one who's struggled with landing strategies."

Nora snorted. "He'll do fine! Have you seen how hard his head is?"

"You two are crazy."

"We are following you." Ren shot back.

"You know what?" He sighed. "I can't even disagree with that."

"It's ok." Nora assured him. "We like crazy."

"Well, you might want to get ready for that crazy, ma'am." The pilot called back. "We're two minutes out."

Jaune nodded and looked to Stevens. "Pick your landing spot and come find us as soon as you can. I'd like to keep this as brief as possible."

"Roger that, First." The large soldier acknowledged.

"Ok, I think we're set."

Ren and Nora climbed to their feet, and the pinkete held out her hand.

"Not quite, F.L.! Give me that power boost!" She cried cheerily.

"Is it going to go straight to your head?" He asked as he took her hand.

"Only one way to find out!"

He felt the rush of the void, and was assault with images. No, that wasn't quite right, he was assaulted with memories, HIS memories, and yet not his at all. Precious few of them not involving Ren were pleasant. He gasped as he surfaced again, looking at a panting Nora.

"Nora…"

"Yeah, F.L.?"

"I owe you a hug after this."

She smiled softly. "I'll hold you to that."

"First, we're coming in." The pilot informed him. "I'm lowering the ramp."

"Got it!" Jaune yelled back, as the whine of the door stared, and the rushing sound of air filled the hold.

The three walked over to the ramp, and watched as the ground became clearer as the bullhead dropped both speed and altitude, till it was barely skimming the treetops.

The pilot's voice cracked in their ears. _"Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven…"_

Jaune took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders. It was time.

" _Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Go! Go! Go!"_

He leapt into the open air, immediately focusing his Aura and deploying his shield, trying to catch as much air as possible before he hit. He'd at least learned that lesson at initiation. The ground rushed up to meet him, and he tucked and rolled. It was far from glamorous, but it worked. He shook his head to clear it as he found his feet, scanning his surroundings.

The first thing he noticed was the two faunus in tattered grey and black uniforms staring back at him from their place beside the large cargo truck they were loading, their mouths agape.

"Shit!" One finally decided on, dropping the box in his hands and reaching for the revolver on his hip.

Jaune raised his shield, knowing he wouldn't be fast enough to get to the man in time. Luckily, he wouldn't have to be. Ren slammed into the man and pushed him into the side of the truck, silencing him with a quick blow to the head. The second received much rougher treatment, as Nora swiped the haft of her hammer across the back of his head with a loud _'crack.'_

The ninja pointed towards a simple wooden, two story building next to the truck, for which angry shouts could be heard. Jaune nodded and shot forward, taking the lead as he rushed to side of the open door, peeking around the side of the frame to see if they'd been spotted.

The load of buckshot that tore a chunk out of the wood next to his head told him that, yes, yes they had.

He tapped Ren, and waited a half beat till it was returned, confirming they were ready. He spun into the doorway with his shield raised, immediately feeling the impact of the second round as it slammed into the metal. Ren's Storm Flowers spoke out in protest over his shoulder, eliciting a scream from the shooter. He looked to his left, as a second Fang started to try to come around and flank him.

It might have worked...if Nora hadn't slammed into the man like a train, throwing him against the wall off the house, which he slid down to come to a slumped rest. He turned to finish scanning the room, his shield held high. The first floor was clear.

They tensed as they heard the creak of the wooden stairs as someone started slowly, methodically making their way down. He came into view shortly after. He was a large man, not a giant, but wide of frame, and older than most Fang Jaune had seen, probably somewhere in his fifties. He didn't bother with a mask, his face on full display, with his bushy mustache and smile lines around his mouth. But none of this is what had his full attention. That honor belong to the long handled ax held loosely in right hand. The man nodded slowly.

"Specialists, then?"

Jaune swallowed. "This doesn't have to end in violence. Just drop the weapon, and we'll take you in, no one will hurt you." He promised.

The older man sighed. "I wonder how many times a faunus has been told that lie?" The man looked them over. "But then, you are children. Perhaps you really believe it. The thought breaks my heart."

"Please." The knight pleaded, shield still at the ready.

The man shook his head. "You know that I cannot. That time has passed."

"You can't win." He tried.

The man chuckled as he hefted his ax. "I know, but what kind of man would I be if I let that stop me?"

With that, the room exploded into violence. The man leapt from his place on the stairs with a yell, bringing his ax around in a wide arc. Jaune surged forward, catching the blade of the ax on his shield, and driving the point of his blade into the man's sternum, driving the air from his lung with a grunt, as he fell to the floor. The rest of the fight was neither graceful, nor honorable, as Ren and Nora jumped onto their fallen opponent, striking him until he stilled.

He shook his head. "It didn't have to be like this."

The man groaned, and turned so that he come stare up at him. "It did, lad. It does."

The old faunus lunged forward from his place on the floor, hands reaching out for Ren. He didn't even process the action as his blade thrust forward again. He did process the splash of warm fluid as it hit his face, however. The large man fell back to the floor on his back, clutched as his chest.

He cursed. "Ren get the med-."

"No." The man croaked, holding out a hand to block the boy in green. "No...I know what waits for me if I survive…"

"It didn't have to be like this. We're not like that."

The man coughed. "Perhaps not, b-but I am...I've seen too much not to be."

The blond stood over the dying faunus awkwardly, struggling to think of what to say.

"What's your name?" He decided on.

"D-does it matter, boy?" The man asked, his blood beginning to stain the already dark floorboards of the house.

"It does to me." He answered.

The man chuckled. "Such an odd Specialist. It doesn't to me." He gasped in pain.

The knight knelt down beside the man. "Sir? Sir are you alright?"

The old faunus smirked. "I...I haven't been that for a long time, not since…since…" He trailed off, his breaths coming shallow and quick, till they ceased coming at all.

Jaune sighed and bowed his head, reaching out and closing the man's eyes. He felt Nora's hand on his shoulder, and started to rise, before spotting something falling out of the older man's pocket. He hesitantly reached out, and palmed the blinking object.

It didn't take long for rest of the Beowolves to catch up with them, bursting through the front door of the small wooden home with their weapons at the ready. They scanned the room for threats quickly, before getting waved down by their blond team lead.

Stevens' eyes found the body of the old faunus on the floor, before nodding slowly, and turning to Sam.

"Call it in. We're done here."

She nodded, and stepped outside. The large man looked at the three Specialist.

"You three ok?"

Ren nodded. "Yes, and I think we may have found something."

The man raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"Stevens." Jaune said, turning the still blinking scroll up for the soldier to see. The man scowled, stepping forward to get a better look at the screen. He gasped when he did so.

"Holy shit!"

"Yeah…" Jaune agreed, looking down at the scroll again. "What do you think?"

The larger man shifted uncomfortably. "I mean, it's not my field, it might not be legit, but if it is...fuck."

"Yeah…"

"What do you want to do, First?" The large soldier asked.

Jaune's eyes bore down into the scroll, demanding answers, and finding none. He sighed.

"Call it in. We've got Adam's location."

* * *

 **Building Up the Nerve**

Yang looked at her orange-haired friend seriously, appraising her.

"You ready for this?"

Nora nodded slowly.

"...yeah."

Yang tsked.

"I can't hear you."

"Yes!"

"Louder!" The blonde demanded.

"YES!" Nora shouted, staring the other girl down.

Yang nodded. "Good. Bounce with me." She said, starting to hop up and down on the balls of her feet, Nora joining her shortly after. "What's the gameplan?"

"Get it, hit'em hard, get out." The pinkete recited.

"And what are you going to if he hits back?"

"Roll with it, don't get caught flush, keep moving forward."

"What's the goal?"

"Dominate the fight."

The blonde nodded, and put her hand on her friend's shoulder.

"You're ready. Let's get in position."

They had picked their ambush point carefully, choosing an area with a good deal of foot traffic, making their presence not anything notable, but not TOO much foot traffic, rendering their attack useless.

The path leading to the chow tent. It was perfect.

He came into view right on time, 08:10. Lie Ren was a man of habit.

Yang slowly rubbed circles into her friend's back, whispering encouragement into her ear as the boy approached. Now was her time. She had this.

When the boy reached the invisible tripwire, the stakes in front of tent they were hiding behind, Yang watched as her friend froze in place, legs refusing to move.

 _Nope._ She thought, shoving the orange-haired girl into the open without remorse. _She'll thank me later._

Nora stumbled into the open, shooting a betrayed look back at the tent, before catching sight of Ren. She straightened immediately, brushing her hair back and sticking her chest out, just like Yang had taught her.

"Oh, hey Renny, you come here often?"

The boy raised an eyebrow. "To...breakfast? Yes...everyday."

She giggled. She'd been told to giggle.

"That's so weird! Me too!"

"Yes...I know."

Now for the compliment!

She swooned. "Oh Renny, you're so insightful!"

The ninja tilted his head.

"Nora, are you feeling alright?"

This was it! Just say the line!

"Not really…" She started. "I'm all hot and bo-." She swallowed. "Hot and bo-." The treacherous words caught in her throat.

Her partner stepped forward and put his hand on her forehead, shutting down .

He hummed. "You do feel a bit warm. We'll go see the nurse...after breakfast." He smiled, and her heart melted. "They're having pancakes, afterall."

She grinned. "YES!"

She mentally shrugged. You couldn't win'em all.

As she happily skipped towards the mess tent, arm-in-arm with Renny, a very frustrated and disappointed Yang Xiao Long growled from her place behind the tent.

She had so many options with that 'are you feeling alright?' line!

'I just need a tall glass of water, like you.'

'The nurse said I need plenty of bed rest, but I don't want to be lonely.'

'Can you take my temperature? Rectally?'

Yang sighed. Some people just had no appreciation of art.

No wonder Jaune had put her up to this, Nora was impossible. Speaking of...where was her knight?

She grinned. He always liked playing doctor.


	16. The Raid

**We're back folks, it's been too long.**

 **Cr00cy, Action Chapter? Action Chapter.**

 **Chapter 15**

 **The Raid**

* * *

 **W.S. Quote Book Says: "Tough situations build strong people."**

 **W.S. Playlist Says: "Success is my only motherf***ing options, failures not" - 'Lose Yourself' Eminem**

* * *

Qrow tapped his foot against the bullhead floor unconsciously. As far as plans went, he wasn't exactly a fan. Oh, he understood, a lead on Adam's location was huge. If they could take him down, they stood a chance of crushing the entire Fang movement, especially with the Belladonnas moving to reclaim the lead. But going in half blind, with next to no prep time? That rankled him. He'd seen that particular show too many times. He glanced around the hold and watched as the team prepped for the assault, Ruby and Yang checking each other over. That doubt wasn't going to help the team, they needed someone telling them what was up. He found his feet and spoke.

"Alright, you damn savages, listen up." He waited until he felt their eyes on him before continuing. "Here's the deal, you all know we just found Remnant's most eligible bachelor."

"I don't know, Blake might still be claiming him." Yang cut in.

"I will kill you." The dark-haired girl shot back.

He ignored them. "So, we're going to go throw our new neighbor a housewarming party, emphasis on the warm."

A few chuckles made their way around the hold.

"Nothing changes from the usual. This is same shit, different target. Robin-" He nodded to the young woman. "-Will be leading the team. Yang and I will be at the head of the column, knocking on doors and spreading the good word. Kitty and Ice Princess will be our rear guard, making sure we don't get any nasty surprises." He eyed the faunus girl. "Sorry I gotta delay your reunion with lover boy."

"Are all Branwens assholes?"

He barked a laugh. "Yeah, it's genetic."

"Like your weakness to blonds?"

He frowned at that as Ruby snorted, a hand flying up to her mouth. "Ha ha, Belladonna. I guess bad taste is something we share."

"I'm pretty happy with my purchase." Yang cut in.

"Poor taste." Qrow agreed, before looking back at the team. "That aside, any questions?"

Robin grinned. "Nah, I think we're all pretty entertained listening to your little family drama. Tell us Yang, does it weird you out how fixated on your boyfriend your uncle is?"

"Har har, you're all a riot." He said, rolling his eyes. "You should retire after this and find something more suited to your talents, like serving fries maybe."

" _First, we're 60 seconds out."_ He heard the pilot call over the comms.

"Rog." He replied, keying his mic. "Listen, this is Adam, he's going to know that we're coming, they've got to have people watching the skies around the compound. Go in hot."

" _You're breaking my heart here, sir._ " The pilot quipped back.

"I'm sure." He laughed, before releasing the comm and looking back to the team. "You heard the man, get ready, it's almost time."

A series of affirmations passed through the team as the sound of various clicks and snaps filled the hold, and he nodded to himself. They were as ready as they were going to be. He leaned back into his jump seat and closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable call.

" _I have visual, coming in now."_

"Any hostiles?" He asked.

" _Confirmed."_

"Light'em up."

He felt the ship dip and tilt as it came in, the hold vibrating as the guns came to life, sending round after round hurtling towards the ground. He looked over to Ruby, shuffling nervously in her seat across from him. He nudged her with his boot.

"Short Stack, relax. It's all good."

She gave him a small smile. "Yeah..."

" _Where do you want to be dropped off, sir?"_ The pilot's voice crackled again.

"As close as possible, we're going to keep the pressure on."

" _I think I can set you down on top of the compound."_ The man offered.

"Perfect." He looked back to his team, and his girls. "Alright, on your feet people. Keep your eyes and ears open and call out your threats. Do not try to engage Adam, that son of a bitch is dangerous, you leave him to me." He shot a glance over to his eldest niece. "That means you too, Firecracker."

"No promises." She shot back.

He opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by the sound of the ramp door starting squeal open, letting in the full roar of the engines as the craft lowered itself onto the roof. He strode forward, taking his place at the door and adjusting his grip on his sword. As soon as the door had opened enough for him to leap through, he did so, falling the remaining distance to the rooftop, and feeling the impact of RWBY shortly after.

"Form a perimeter." He ordered, eyes quickly finding the rooftop access door as the girls spread to the corners, watching the sides as the craft finished its descent and settled just above the roof. Robin led the team out the door, rifles up and at the ready.

"On me." He called out, moving to the door and holding himself off the side, as the team collapsed in on him. He waited till he felt Yang's hand tap him on the shoulder, then spun into the door, firing and sending it flying on its hinges with solid kick. He heard a scream as the man who had been behind the door flew down the stairs and slammed into the wall. Bad luck, that.

He leapt down the first flight of stairs in a single go, turning the corner as he landed, rounding on a pair of Fang soldiers hurriedly trying to raise their rifles at the bottom of the next flight. He kicked off the wall, surging towards the two troopers, a swing of his blade and crack of his gun put them down and painted the walls around him. As he reached the door at the bottom of the stairwell, he moved forward into the darkened room, his eyes fighting to adjust to the lack of lighting. He motioned for the Huntresses behind him to fan out as the team of soldiers made their way to the bottom.

"Set." He heard Robin whisper as the team finished filing in.

He lifted his hand to wave them forward, and was cut off by the cough of the soldiers' rifles as they fired over his shoulder into the Fang members starting to surge into the room from the opposite door.

"Weiss!" He roared. The young Huntress already ahead of him, summoning a wall of ice for their troops to stack behind. He vaulted over it and across the room, his sword doubling as a shield as he caught the faunus' rounds on it. He steered himself towards the largest pocket, only to have Yang rocket past him, propelled by her gauntlets. He felt a surge of pride as she reached them. She was a goddamn hurricane.

Fang troopers flew apart like bowling pins as Yang arrived in their midst, bobbing and weaving through the gunfire as she went, gauntlets filling the darkened room with flashes of light. He was at her back an instant later, blade carving a path through their ranks as he let the Yang go work on the overwhelmed faunus. He heard the distinctive crack of Crescent Rose ring out as Ruby moved from target to target. He watched the Fang open fire on various incarnations of Blake, which quickly faded into nothingness as the girl worked her way from pocket to pocket. All of which was supported by the combined fire of the team and spikes of ice being hurled from Weiss' position. He moved through the last two opponents in front of him with practiced efficiency, eyes scanning the room and ears straining for any continued sounds of battle.

"Ruby?" He called out, eyes snapping to his niece.

"We're good." She responded, inserting a fresh magazine into Crescent Rose.

He nodded and looked over to Robin. "Your guys good to go?"

She briefly scanned over the team, getting various nods, thumbs up, and verbal confirmation. "We're set," she said after a moment.

"Ok, this is gonna get rough, they know we're here, and if Adam really is here, he's going to be waiting. He eyed Yang, "stay behind me." She grunted in affirmation, loading a fresh string of shells into her gauntlets.

He sighed, and moved towards the door the Fang soldiers had poured through, his weapon at the ready. He stacked up against the wall, waiting for the rest of the team to form on him. Using the reflection in his blade, he checked around the corner the best he could in the dim light. When he saw nothing, he spun into the long, darkened hallway, keeping himself wide and his weapon up to defend those behind him. They moved swiftly and with smoothly, checking each door as they came to it while covering each other. Finally, there was nothing left but the door at the other end of the hall, leading into another large, open room.

"This seem really weird to you?" Ruby whispered.

He snorted. "Yeah, Short Stack, it does feel off."

Yang tsked as she came up beside him. "I think you mean, 'obvious trap is obvious.'"

"Well, you're not wrong." He chuckled. "Any suggestions?"

Blake looked up at the ventilation system. "I can get up there and go check it out."

He hummed. "What's the chances that one of them has good enough hearing to pick you up?"

She winced. "Ears are a pretty common trait for us, so pretty good."

"Nice try, super spy." Yang consoled as she playfully shoved her partner.

He rolled his eyes and looked to Robin. "How about you GI Jane, you got any ideas?"

The soldier shrugged. "Flashbangs."

"I like where your head is at, but how do you feel about trying Adam and crew's front door with those, knowing that they're waiting on us?"

"Not a huge fan."

He sighed. "Well, we need to figure something out, cause I'm not strolling through the front door."

He heard someone clear their throat, and looked over to Weiss. "What you got, Ice Princess?"

She scoffed. "Besides a name, a plan."

He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, and what's that?"

"We're going through the front door." She announced.

"Listen, Princess, if I wanted-"

"Can you step back? You're in my way." She cut him off as she strode forward, and Glyphs started to spin on the ground. "This will be rather loud," she informed them.

Wood, stone, and steel exploded into the large, open room, as a two-story tall knight crashed its way through the wall, swinging its blade in wide, deadly arcs.

Much air was slain.

The knight slowed its assault as it looked around the empty, tall room in confusion, eventually staring back through the hole it had made in the wall, where the members of RWBY and the Ursa were beginning to peak their heads through nervously.

"Gods, Spec, think we could have made that any louder?" Robin asked.

Weiss huffed. "Well, if you had a better plan, you should have said something."

"Relax, mini-Winter, I'm just busting your metaphorical balls. That was awesome."

"Oh...well, thank you."

Qrow shook his head and walked into the room, stepping over the remnants of the wall, watching with mild fascination as the knight began to fade away. His gaze traveled over the entirety of the room, taking in the open, concrete floor littered with shipping containers, and the small catwalk that traveled along the top of the room.

"Think Jaune got bad info?" Ruby asked as she came up beside him.

"Maybe." He hedged, still on edge. "I don't like it though. Why not fight us here? It would have been easier to defend."

"Maybe they thought they could catch us off guard?" Yang offered.

He hummed, and look back to Blake. "Hey, Kit-kat, this follow any White Fang-" he cut off as he watched her eyes widen and ears twitch.

"They're here!" She managed to get out before explosions rocked the room, sending them flying off their feet with a flash of light and deafening sound. Qrow's head swam as he lifted it off the floor, shaking it to clear it as he forced himself up to his knees. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear the spots from his eyes as his ears rung painfully. His vision cleared enough for him to take in RWBY getting to their feet slowly, as well as most of the Ursa...though some remained eerily still on the ground.

Robin coughed as she struggled to raise her rifle and looked around at her team. "Where's Michaels? Anybody see-"

That's when the gunfire set in.

Qrow whipped his head and his weapon upwards to the catwalk, now suddenly filled with Fang soldiers.

"Fuck!" He cursed, firing into the troops while moving back to shield the Ursa. "Robin!" He cried out to the team lead as the rounds slammed into him.

"On it!" She shouted back, keying her mic. "Control, this is Alpha, we are under attack. We need extract-"

Her voice suddenly fell quiet, and he spared a glance back towards the woman. He almost wish he hadn't. There stood the missing member of team Ursa, Michaels, with a long, slender blade buried in Robin's chest, which she stared down at in disbelief. The man turned and winked at him with dichromatic eyes, before he started to peel away, leaving a petite, multicolored girl in his place.

"You little motherfucker." He growled. "You'll pay for-" He grunted as he felt something slice into his side, and felt a familiar, warm sensation flowing out of the wound. He pressed his hand into the deep puncture, willing his Aura to start the healing process, and whirled around to face the new threat.

There stood Adam Taurus, a few meters away, with his blade drawn and energy still flowing off it. He tsked.

"A pity, I was aiming for your liver."

Qrow started a chuckle that turned into a cough, settling into his stance.

"Sounds like bad luck to me."

Adam hummed as he stepped forward.

"Just gives me the chance to savor this."

Qrow spared a quick glance to his nieces, desperately firing up into the catwalk as they tried to pull the remaining Ursa behind Weiss' hastily summoned cover. They needed time.

He spat blood onto the floor and willed his Aura to hold.

"Bring it, you edgelord cuck."

* * *

Jaune Arc was exhausted.

Mentally, physically, and emotionally, he was done.

What he wanted, more than anything in the world, was to peel his armor off, take as long a shower as camp rules would allow, and collapse onto his bunk. Not the damn Alert facilities bunk, _his_ bunk. After just getting back from their second mission in a day, he'd thought he'd earned it. Especially with how long the debriefing had been. He was halfway done shuffling his way out of the Alert facility with Ren and Nora when Stevens caught him.

"Spec!" The giant of a man called out. "We've got problems!"

He sighed. "Stevens, I-"

"We just got a distress call from Alpha." He clarified hurriedly.

Jaune felt the exhaustion flow out of him as panic replaced it.

"Where!? What happened!?"

The big man shook his head. "We don't know, but we can't reach them."

He heard Nora curse beside him, and looked to Ren, his mouth starting to open to form the question.

"We're going." His dark-haired friend answered, before he even had time to ask.

He nodded in silent thanks, before turning back to Stevens.

"Stevens-" He stared.

"They're already fueling the bullhead. Ricky, Sam, and Rob are loading up now."

"You don't have to do-"

"You don't want to finish that sentence." The soldier promised. "Now get your weapons and let's go get our guys."

* * *

Qrow was not going to win this fight.

He'd known it almost as soon as he locked blades with Adam the first time. There was simply too much damage for Aura to repair quickly enough for it to make a difference. The blood loss over the past two minutes hadn't helped matters either, and as much as he hated to admit it...Adam was fucking good.

The guy knew what he was doing with a bleeding opponent, that was for sure. The bastard kept taking small, non-committal strikes and feinting, forcing him to keep moving, keep bleeding, as they circled. Qrow knew what he wanted. He wanted him to rush, to panic and try to force an opening where none existed, then he'd take the counter and end the fight. Qrow winced as the red-head surged forward and struck high, forcing him to stretch his wound open. He growled and kicked at the faunus' knee, but the man danced back and started circling again, waiting.

The bastard.

Well, he always had his old warhorse to call on.

"Hey, I know you gotta be wondering."

Adam hummed, unmoved. "Wondering what?"

"Who Kit-kat is playing hide the pickle with?" He grinned. "The answer may surprise you."

The dark man snorted. "You believe I'd fall for the same trick twice?"

"Well, let's be honest, you don't look too smart."

"And you don't look too well." The faunus cocked his head to the side. "Perhaps I can help, give you something for the pain?" He shot forth, swinging at Qrow's wounded side, before redirecting his blade and swiping for the man's neck. Qrow felt pretty good about not falling for it, and catching the terrorist's blade on his own, right up until Adam slammed a kick into his wounded side.

"Sonuvabitch!" He hissed, pulling away with his guard held high.

"I make no judgement on your mother," Adam responded dryly. "But you are a different story."

Bastard though he was cute.

* * *

Yang had had better times.

As much as it pained her to admit, this midget was better than her. Not better than her depending one how you looked at it either, just plain better. Worse, the bitch knew it.

She launched herself forward, trying to surprise the girl with how fast she covered distance, firing a round from Ember at her legs with her left hand, while swinging at her head with her right. Neo calmly danced back, smirk ever in place, and spun to Yang's side, slashing at the blonde's flank. Yang winced as the tip of the blade crackled off her Aura. If she'd been in worse condition, that would have been a nasty gash. She growled as she reset her stance and eyed the diminutive girl.

"I'm going to kill you, I hope you know that."

The multicolored girl tittered silently, then appeared seemingly out of nowhere from her right, slamming her heel into the side of her knee, before taking a stab at her head. Yang cried out in pain, but manage to jerk her head to the side fast enough to avoid the blade. She swung at the smaller girl again, and cursed when she hit nothing but air. This wasn't working. Her gaze flickered over to her uncle, slowly, but clearly, losing his own fight with Adam.

This was bad.

The momentary distraction almost cost her, as the assassin's blade sliced through the air next to her head, taking a clump of her hair with it. Her first reaction was to rage, to seethe as unleash her Semblance on the smaller girl, but she pushed it down when she saw the girl's stance, poised and ready to hop back and counter. She needed something, anything, that would let her get over to her uncle. Then it hit her like she was going to hit this pint-sized pain in the ass.

"Hey, I see the clown and the midget, but where's the ring leader of your little circus? Oh wait!"

She grinned when she saw the multicolored girl's face contort in a silent snarl and she lunged forward. She'd just had to remember...

Other people got mad too.

* * *

Ruby hunkered down behind the small barrier of ice that Weiss had formed between them and the Fang, watching as her partner continued to pump Aura and Dust into the creation as incoming fire chipped away at the structure, the only thing protecting the surviving members of their team.

"How you holding up, Weiss?" She yelled over the din.

"I've been better Ruby." The white-haired girl shot back through grit teeth. "I can't keep up with the rate they're breaking it down! We've got to take some of them out."

She swallowed, suddenly remembering another firefight, the way her rifle had recoiled - just like normal, but with an entirely different result.

"Ruby!" He partner yelled.

"On it!" She shouted back, slamming a fresh magazine home and popping up over the makeshift barrier, searching for her target. She spotted the streak of black that was Blake, and watched a Fang member raise his rifle to take aim at her teammate. She leveled Crescent Rose at the man in an instant, felt her finger hesitate over the trigger for a moment, then squeezed. The sequence of event that followed left her dazed and confused. As the recoil of the rifle pressed it back into her shoulder, her eyes never target. The man cried out as the round struck, spinning him around with a flicker of Aura, which at first filled her with relief, till the man started to shimmer and glow, seeming to peel away before her, becoming a horrifyingly familiar shape in the air.

Blake.

The faunus girl hit the ground with a thud, where she lay unmoving. She wasn't even aware of moving herself, she certainly didn't hear Weiss' cry for her to wait, but she was beside her friend in an instant, hands desperately searching for wounds. She let out a slow breath when she found none, reaching down to scoop the girl up and take her back to the relative safety of their position. The round that slammed into her chest sent her stumbling backwards, gasping for breath as she fell to the floor, eyes looking up at a woman seemingly appearing out of nothingness. A tall woman, with dark skin and red eyes, filled with hate.

Emerald Sustrai raised her weapon and pointed it at the young girl once again, letting a few, quiet words spill forth from her lips as she pulled the trigger.

"For Cinder."

The shot went wide as a familiar rapier dug into the side of the revolver, sending it skittering off to the side, and heeled foot pushed the green-haired girl back.

"For Pyrrha." Weiss Schnee said, falling into a fencer's stance.

* * *

The bullhead screamed as it peeled around the small town, the frame of the craft groaning in protest against the strain that was being placed on it. None of that mattered to the men and women inside the aircraft. Nothing mattered, except for the violence the next few moments promised.

"Ok people, listen up!" Stevens bellowed over the roar of the engines. "We don't know what we're going into, so keep your head on a swivel. Shit's going to be bad, but remember, threats first, wounded second. We don't need you to become another casualty trying to help someone." He received a few nods from around the hold before shifting his glance back to Jaune. "First, what you got for us, boss?"

Jaune closed his eyes as he felt the craft rumble as it's engines shifted downwards, slowly bringing them down onto the roof of the compound. It was his fault. He knew it was his fault, he never should have-

"Jaune!" Stevens called, forcing his eyes to snap open and see the larger man staring at him pleadingly, flicking a glance to the other faces around the hold meaningfully. "What you got for us?" He asked again.

The young knight steeled himself. He had a job to do. He had promised her that he'd take care of them. Her team, their team. He let his Aura begin to flow as he reached out and grasped Nora's hand, starting to form the link.

"Stay behind me and Nora. Ren's got our back. Do what you have to in there, we'll answer questions when we bring them back alive."

The last thing he saw before the link took hold was the soldier nodded to him and shouting to the team.

"You heard the man! On your feet, let's go people, we've got a team to recover!"

* * *

Qrow Branwen had never considered himself a religious man. Now, some would say that stood in opposition to what he knew to be true, that the Brothers were real, that they existed. But, whenever someone had tried to explain the concept to him, religion was a matter of faith and submission. Well, it didn't really take any faith to believe in something you knew to be true, and he'd always thoughts that, deity or no, they could go fuck themselves if they thought he was going to kneel and whisper sweet nothings in their ears. That being said, he was currently willing to make quite a few moral compromises if either Brother, light or dark, would give him the strength to take this bastard down.

"You're bleeding out." Adam observed coldly. "You're slowing down."

"Nah, looking at your dumbass vampire getup just makes me tired." He shot back.

The other man hummed as he slowly circled, waiting patiently for his opening, acting like he had all the time in the world. Which, for all intents and purposes, Qrow supposed he did.

"I was hoping they'd send the Schnee, if I'm being honest. I suppose I'll have to settle for her sister. I'm sure that'll bring her running soon enough anyway."

"Aww, you're hurting my feelings, Edgelord. You're not excited to see me?"

"You matter litt-"

He lunged forward, swinging his blade at the faunus' head, forcing Adam to jerk back and raise his sword to block the strike, and slipping and stumbling on a slick of blood. Qrow twisted the strike, bringing the the blade around to the other side, aiming for the man's ribs. Adam grunted as he pulled Blush up to intercept the strike, before folding around Qrow's boot as it slammed into his stomach. The grey Hunter brought his sword around, looking to end the fight with the faunus off balance. He barely managed to pull his head off line as Wilt thrust through the space it had just occupied. Fuck, he was fast.

"Clever." Adam drawled as he collected himself and fell back into stance.

"They always said I was the smart one." He quipped.

"I doubt it." The dark man replied. "That little stunt opened up your wound further."

"It's cute that you're concerned about me, but I just want you to know, I don't-"

He barely managed to bring his blade up in time to catch the buckshot from Blush before Adam went on the offensive, pivoting to let the faunus leader fly by, before they became a storm of blades again. He tried not to think too hard about the fact that he was constantly giving up ground.

* * *

Yang still wasn't sure if she hated this idea or not, as she leapt back just in time for Neo's blade to cleave through the air where'd she'd just been. On one hand, the smaller girl had definitely become more predictable since she'd started taunting her, but on the other, as much as it pained her to admit, the girl was just better than her.

She winced the little demon's heel slammed into the side of her knee, buckling her. She shot a straight right hand forward in response, only to growl in frustration as the multicolored girl dipped out of the way, slicing her blade along the back of her arm she went. Yang yelped in pain, firing at the smaller girl's feet to drive her back. That was one of the few useful things she'd learned in their brief engagements, that aiming for Neo's head was asking to miss. You _might_ hit her if you went to the body, might being the operative word. The miniature assassin eyed her hungrily, her blade drawing small circles in the air as she edged forward, ready to pounce. Yang didn't intend to keep her waiting. She shot at the girl's feet again, and dove forward into the fight. They played their high stakes game of cat and mouse, with her pressuring the smaller girl, trying to corner her somewhere where she could actually do some damage, all while trying to avoid running onto her opponent's blade.

She broke off again, as Neo flashed her blade upward towards her eyes, before delivering a kick to her ribs that felt like it might have cracked something. The assassin smirked at her as she clutched her side, stumbling back. The multicolored girl shrugged and mouthed, 'oops.'

"I've never met someone that spoke so little that I wanted to shut the hell up so bad." She growled.

Neo grinned evil and twirled her blade with a flourish. Yang took the opportunity to glance over to uncle, slowly being backed into a wall by Adam. The smaller girl followed her gaze and gasped in mock concern. She had to get to him before it was too late. She decided to play her last card.

"Funny, thought you might be sympathetic to the thought of losing a drunk asshole. You know, on account of yours being Grimm shit."

Yang twisted out of the way as the blade thrust by her, firing both of gauntlets at the assassin and hitting nothing but air. It didn't matter though, the blast sent her rocketing toward her uncle, and the red-haired terrorist cornering him. Her eyes flashed as she activated her Semblance, willing her heat, her rage into her limbs, feeling the raw power flow through her, making her faster, stronger, _better_. Adam was too focused on Qrow, he had no idea she was coming. She was a missile, singular in purpose, and unimaginably destructive, nothing could stop her, nothing could save Adam. And then, her uncle's gaze flicked over to her, and his eyes grew wide.

The speed at which Adam spun in place shocked even her, and she had seen it before. His blade cleaved through the air once more, just like it had that night, and she knew there was no escaping it, no altering course. She readied Ember Cecilia as she hurdled forward. She'd be damned if she wasn't going to get her own hit in this time. She grit her teeth and waited for the familiar bite of the crimson blade as it rose to meet her, only watch in shock and horror as her uncle tackled the dark man, sending the Moon Slice off course, ripping through her Aura and burning like the fire, but leaving her whole. She slammed into the concrete floor with the force of a meteor, skipping off it once, twice, before skidding to a halt against a large, metal cargo container. She could hear the sounds of her uncle and Adam scuffling and yelling what she knew must only be a short distance away, but sounded so very far off. If only Qrow hadn't look up at the last minute, just maybe…

She chuckled darkly.

Bad luck.

The loud boom of a shotgun signaled the end of the struggle between her uncle and Adam. She waited with resignation as she first heard, then saw a pair of black boots making their way towards her. When they seemed to fill her vision, they stopped, before one raised up and pushed her onto her back.

"You don't learn very well, do you human?"

"Dad always said I was stubborn like that." She croaked.

He hummed. "That was bold, I respect bold. I won't draw this out unnecessarily. Do you have any last words?"

"At least I don't have to look at that stupid fucking mask anymore."

He sighed as he raised his blade high above his head. She kept her eyes on him. She look him in the eye, she'd make sure he at least remembered Yang Xiao-Long. The blade began to fall, and she said a silent prayer that Ruby was still ok as it hurtled down towards her, before its journey was cut short, and a deafening, _clang_ , filled the air.

He was covered in blood, it matting his blond hair to his head. He was hissing with effort as his shield shook under the strain of holding Adam's blade back. His armor was dingy and smudged. His eyes...his eyes were wild and panicked, filled with fresh and terrible fear. But that didn't matter to her.

Her knight was here.

* * *

Jaune buckled under the force of the faunus' blade, straining to push it back with a desperation that he hadn't known existed. They'd hit the room like a storm, Nora and the Beowolves opening up on the Fang as soon as they'd come through the door, pushing towards the wounded and broken Ursa. The storm of steel that'd come back their way had been just as fierce, once the initial shock had worn off, but Jaune paid it no mind. Neither had he focused on the small assassin that he knew by reputation only, Nora and Ren were already rushing to meet her as she slowly made her way over to a badly bleeding Qrow. No, only two people in the room held his attention. Yang, broken and bleeding on the ground, and the man raising his blade to strike her down.

He'd never known that he could move so fast. He wasn't even aware of covering the distance between them, nor of the rounds pinging off of his Aura. He was vaguely aware of a couple of Fang members that had stepped between him and his goal, but they had disappeared and something hot had spilled onto his face in their place. He had skidded into place, the only place he could be, between her and this man, at the last moment. His shield had barely held the blow back.

Now all he could feel was panic. Panic and rage. He'd almost been too slow, almost been too slow again. It was all his fault, he had caused this, he had set them up for this. But that wasn't entirely true, was it? This man in front of him, he'd hurt Yang. He'd hurt her _twice_. If anyone shared the blame with him, it was him. He roared in the man's face as he surged forth, driving him back, away from her.

The man scoffed and said something unimportant as he began to raise his sheath up. Jaune didn't care, it didn't matter, all that mattered was making sure that he couldn't hurt anyone else. His blade slammed down into the man's sheath, driving it down as it fired, before slamming his shield into the faunus' chest, driving him backwards once more.

The man attempted to recover, but Jaune was already on him. He thought he should be hearing _something,_ be it the clang of steel, or the deafening boom of the man's shotgun, or even the sound of the gunfight raging around them, but he could only hear two things with any clarity. The first being the pounding of his heart in his ears. The second being her voice telling him what to do.

 _Keep them moving backwards, cut them off and keep the initiative._

His feet moved of their own accord, angling him in and out as he pressed forward, forcing the faunus back, back towards the obstacles that only he could see.

 _Don't look at my eyes, Jaune. My eyes will lie to you, watch the body._

He saw the man's sword arm twitch, and rushed forward to meet it, slamming his shield into the strike before it could gain momentum. His boot lashed out and and drove into the man's knee, forcing him back.

 _Lie, Jaune. Feint, and feint with intent._

He brought his blade down at an angle, before lunging forward with his shield, pressing the faunus back, hiding the thrust of his blade behind the sheet of steel. The man brought his blade up in time to parry, but was forced onto his heels, moving backwards, and they were almost there. Almost to the bodies of the Fang that Jaune wanted the man to trip over. He was moving like he was meant to, feinting, angling, and pressuring, just like he'd been taught. He was a student of Pyrrha Nikos, of Qrow Branwen, of Winter Schnee, and he was moving like one. He shot forward once more, intent on driving the man the last few steps backwards. Unfortunately, as Adam pivoted out the way and let him fly past, he was reminded for the hundredth time of an terrible, inescapable fact.

He was not his teachers.

"Enough!" Adam growled, slashing along Jaune's thigh before stepping back and creating distance between them. Only a few extra feet, but the knight knew it might as well be a chasm. He couldn't close that distance fast enough. He lunged forward again, and the faunus' crimson blade whipped out and cracked against his shield as he moved back and away, firing into the knight's exposed legs as he went, stumbling him. Adam was on the younger man in a flash, blade lashing out in a flurry of blows, cutting into Aura whenever the blond couldn't bring his shield to bear in time. So began the slow, painful retreat, as Jaune fought desperately to keep up with the faster swordsman's blows, to try to find some opening in his assault to exploit.

He found none.

The dark man moved with a grace and efficiency that he had yet to master, parrying his blows and turning them to counters, always cutting, blasting, or hitting in response to every failed strike. Every attempt to hit the seething man was a lesson, 'this is the gap between us, try to bridge it if you dare.' And yet dare the knight did, throwing himself forward into the threshing machine again and again as he looked for something, anything, that would let him turn the tide.

"You fight like a man with everything to lose." Adam said, sidestepping a thrust and rewarding it with a quick cut beneath the arm. "I understand this."

"Fuck you." Jaune spat, swinging at the dark man again, and hitting nothing but air.

"I understand it," Adam continued, "but desire to win is nothing without the power to do so. You fight bravely, but I am the better man, and so you will die bravely."

"I'm going to kill you." He hissed, thrusting at the faunus once more.

"Not today." Adam brought Blush to bear, firing into his shield, and slashed along the inside of his wrist, sending his sword skittering away as he drove a knee into Jaune's stomach. "You overreach." He chastised, throwing the blond to the floor as he ripped his shield away. "It is a common mistake," he commented, raising Blush.

Jaune brought his forearms up in a feeble block, wincing in anticipation, before a round cracked against the side of Adam's temple, driving the faunus off balance as several more slammed into his chest. Jaune whipped his head to the side to see Stevens a few meters away, emptying his rifle into the terrorist. When the his rifle clicked empty in betrayal, the soldier cursed and dropped it to his side, hand already on his sidearm. He wouldn't be fast enough. Blush's boom echoed through the room as Stevens was ripped back, a red mist flying from his back as he fell.

"Stevens!" Jaune shouted, throwing himself at Adam and latching onto the shotgun with a vice-like grip before the man could take aim again. They grappled over the weapon for a few tense moments, Adam slashing at the knight as best he could, while Jaune bit and kicked to maintain control. Finally, Adam released his grip on the weapon, letting the knight jerk backward as he drove his fist into his jaw, dropping him to the floor in a heap. A swift kick sent Blush flying from his grasp, and he both heard, and felt, a sickening wet noise as Wilt was driven through his shoulder, pinning him to the floor. He did all that was left to him.

He screamed.

"I said enough." Adam growled, twisting the blade and earning another scream. "Enough last stands. Enough foolish gambits. Most of all, enough humans." His foot stomped down on Jaune knee with a crack. "Don't worry, I will send her to you shortly." He promised, ripping Wilt free of his shoulder.

Jaune let his head fall back against the cold cement. He failed. The one thing that mattered, the one thing that meant something out of all of this, and he'd failed again. He let his face fall to the side as Adam reared back, he had no interest in watching the end, and spotted Stevens, on his side and in a pool of his own blood. The larger man was shouting something at him, and slid something across the floor between them.

It was the soldier's father's gun. His old, beat up, outdated pistol. Jaune almost wanted to laugh. It would mean nothing against someone like Adam. But still, he could understand the sentiment, understand wanting to share some pain before the end. He just wished he still had the energy to do something about it.

Sharing some pain.

The thought echoed in his head, and he saw another scene flash before his eyes. His last sparring match with Winter. He remembered thinking that he had her, how exciting that was. He remembered the sting of her elbow cracking into his mouth to dissuade him of such illusions. He remembered the warm trickle of blood running down his mouth that she had wiped away. He remembered that he had had bled... _despite_ having Aura left.

Because they were linked.

The pistol came to a stop against his hand, and he was in motion. He palmed the pistol in his right hand, as his left gripped Adam's ankle for all it was worth.

"Get your han-"

He was already in the void.

The color before him was Red. An overpowering, prideful, angry, raw Red. It stood out against the dark of the void like a beacon, and he dove in.

 _He was holding an older man's hand, his grandfather's, and watching in confusion as two small wooden boxes were lowered into the ground. His grandfather had told him that the boxes were his parents, but that didn't make any sense, not to him at least. He didn't understand why the police had come shortly after that either, demanding that they break up, but his grandfather seemed to._

 _He was hungry. He had been hungry most days it seemed. There was a price to pay for being free of the 'orphanage,' but he was free, he was proud. He was so proud and so hungry, that he apparently couldn't pay attention to where he was going. He tripped over a man dressed in rags, who yelled at him and stood up to his full height, demanding to know who had hit him. He stared at the man in confusion, till he saw his milky and scarred eyes. The man was blind, the man was poor, the man was in rags, and yet...the man was proud. He wanted to be proud too._

 _He looked down at the dead man, briefly wondering about his life. Had he been poor? Had he been desperate? What had driven him to decide that the SDC shipment was worth his life. He wondered if he had had people. Sienna came up behind him, and spoke softly to him. It was time to move on. He took one more look down at the man and decided that it didn't matter, he had people now too._

 _He was looking down at a man, no a boy, whose eyes were filled with hate. He knew he had taken from the boy, but it wasn't personal, at least, as impersonal as killing could be. But he understood the boy's rage, and understood the gesture of him raising the old, worn pistol up, despite the fact that it would mean little. He watched with detached interest as the boy squeezed the trigger, he saw the flash, and to his surprise...felt pain._

Jaune screamed as he flooded back into his body, riding the full wave of pain as the bullet tore through the faunus' shoulder, throwing him backwards onto the floor. The pistol clattered to the floor a second after, and he heard Adam scream something out. A name, he thought. A moment later, there was a flash of light, and two different colored eyes stared down at him with vague interest, before blinking out of existence once more, taking Adam with them. And with that, the room was left in deafening silence.

He gasped for air, fighting against the darkness threatening to overtake him. There was still so much he had to do, so much he had to fix. Yang was hurt, Qrow was hurt, Stevens was-. He forced himself to turn and look at his friend, laying just a few meters away, dead still. His mind raced as he rolled himself onto his belly and began to crawl. Stevens couldn't be gone, he wouldn't _allow_ Stevens to go, not after all this. Each meter seemed a mile, and his body screamed in protest as he dragged himself forward on his good arm, his busted knee trailing lamely behind him. To his relief, he spotted the shallow rise and fall of Stevens' chest as he neared. If he could just reach him, he could fix this, he could make it right. He knew he could. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he was alongside the older man. His eyes roved over the multiple holes riddling the man's chest and leaking his life blood onto the floor. He didn't have much time. He reached out, and placed a bloody hand onto Stevens' forehead, reached out and felt…

Nothing.

It dawned on him in a horrible rush. Stevens had no Aura. Without Aura, they couldn't link. Without the link, he couldn't heal his friend. He wanted to vomit. He wanted to cry. He wanted to scream. He was going to be powerless to stop it again, forced to watch as someone else passed before his eyes. There was nothing he could do to stop it. He would do anything, anything, to change this moment in time. And then it hit him.

He was not consciously aware of where the words came from, or how they spilled so easily from his lips, but that was all secondary. What mattered, was that he was going to fix this, and so he chanted.

 _For it is by our failures that we are defined._

 _Through them, we become both more and less than what we were._

 _Infinitely small, but defiant in the face of death,_

 _I release your soul, and by my desperation, save thee._

* * *

 **Well, let's see if I can write at a reasonable pace now. Hint - hahahahahaha.**

 **I'll try. More importantly…**

 **Winter returns next chapter. #theQueenisback**


	17. Wounded

**Cr00cy, this might sting a little.**

 **Chapter 16**

 **Wounded**

* * *

 **W.S. Quote Book Says:** " _ **No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear."**_ **\- C.S. Lewis**

 **W.S. Playlist Says: "** _ **If I could smoke fear away, I'd roll that mothafucka up**_ **." - Kendrick Lamar**

* * *

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

Jaune stirred as the regular, annoying rhythm filled his ears. He groaned as his eyes fluttered open, only to snap shut again when the harsh, fluorescent light hit them. He rubbed a hand across his eyes and began to sit up, pushing himself up onto his elbows, before hissing and falling back down on the bed as a searing pain laced through his shoulder.

"Sucks, don't it?"

He tilted his head to his right, and saw Qrow sitting up in a plain, white hospital bed, bandages and dressing draped across his form, staring down at the playing cards laid out on his small, plastic tray. His eyes widened in realization.

"Yang! RWBY!" He shouted.

"Are doing just fine." The Hunter comforted. "You did good, kid."

Jaune left out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

"Thank the gods."

"Now, what I can't seem to figure out," the older man continued without looking up, "is how I always conveniently seem to miss out on your little healing magic trick." He gave the blond a sideways glance. "I thought we were supposed to be friends?"

Jaune gave him a weak smile. "We are, but chicks dig scars, and you're always so single. I thought I was doing you a favor."

"Har har, kid." The man growled as he laid another card down. "How you feeling?"

Jaune winced as he shifted look at his bandaged shoulder, fresh red spots starting the bleed through the gauze.

"Kinda like shit." He admitted.

Qrow snorted. "Not surprised. That was Adam out there, kid. You're lucky to be feeling anything at all."

"It's pronounced, 'thank you, Jaune.'" The blond shot back, before taking a look around the small, white room. "Where are we?"

The Hunter shifted to look at him at that. "Base infirmary. Kid, I-" He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "What's the last thing that you remember?"

"I was fighting Adam. I was losing to Adam." Jaune corrected, shaking his head to clear it. "And then…what happened?"

"You did something, kid. Nobody got a great look at it, but Ruby said they heard a shot and scream, then the whole thing went even more to shit than it already was. Everybody scrambling over themselves to get the hell out of there." He nodded to the younger man. "You fucked him up something good. Though, I guess he returned the favor."

Jaune chuckled. "Yeah, guess so." He grimaced, staring down at his hands. "I don't even really remember what happened. It gets jumbled sometimes when I Link. I just remember being desperate. I remember being out of options. I needed something, anything. I remember Stevens sliding me his-" His gaze snapped over to Qrow. "Stevens."

"He's alive." The older man answered after a moment.

The knight's eyes narrowed. "What happened?"

His friend gave him a careful, apologetic look. "It's not your fault, kid. You couldn't know. Aura is a weird beast-"

"Qrow." He swallowed, his stomach sinking. "Please."

The Hunter grimaced. "He's stable, but he's not gonna be the same." He sighed. "You're not gonna like it."

"Where?" Was all he asked.

"Down the hall on the right."

He tore the sensor leads from his chest and leapt from the bed in a flash, legs almost giving out from under him as he landed on the cold, tile floor. It didn't stop him, he couldn't afford for it to. He burst through the doorway into the hallway, almost bowling a young nurse over as he skidded to a halt and tore off down the hall, frantically looking into small, cubical room after room as he ran. He could barely hear Qrow screaming after him as he went.

"Kid? Kid!? Goddammit!"

He reached the end of the hall, the last room on the right, and practically tripped stumbling his way through the door. He was greeted with a wide-eyed Sam, the redhead sitting in a simple, grey chair next to the bed Stevens was laid up in. The giant of a man gave him a small smile.

"What's up, First?"

The larger man started to sit up, only to have Sam place a firm hand on his chest, pushing him back down.

"Easy there, big guy." She warned.

He grunted and settled, rolling his eyes. "I'm hurt, not glass, Sam." He complained before looking back at Jaune. "That was some crazy shit, huh? Told you you should get a gun." He finished with a grin.

Jaune smiled back. "Yeah, guess so."

"You see? This is why you gotta listen to your enlisted. We won't steer you wrong...well, most of the time."

"You should listen to me." Sam corrected. "He'll just get you in trouble."

Stevens scoffed. "Sam, I'm wounded! Both physically and emotionally."

Jaune shook his head. "I'm just glad you're ok. I got worried there for a second." He took a quick glance around the room. "Where's Ricky and Rob?"

Sam's visage darkened. "Ricky, he…he didn't make." She shook her head. "Chief and Rob are gathering his effects. They're taking the remains home tomorrow."

"Shit." He whispered.

"Yeah." They fell into silence, eyes finding the floor. He felt the weight of it wash over him. The impossibility of it. He felt his stomach twist. He hadn't even been aware it happened, had no idea, and he'd been there. That it could happen so quickly and brutally, again, was a hard pill to swallow.

Stevens sighed. "I'm on my way out too. I'll see him home." He promised, then smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "I'll go check up on Pete too, show him my new super powers. Speaking of which, when's it supposed to wear off, Spec?"

"When's what supposed to wear off?" The knight asked nervously.

The soldier frowned. "The numbness, I can't feel my legs."

He felt his heart seize in his chest as Sam shot him an apologetic look.

"Stevens, I-" He started slowly. "-you can't feel your legs?"

The big man shook his head. "Yeah, they said it had something to do with Aura, but you know how it is, the normal docs don't really get that stuff." A nervous look crossed his face as he caught sight of Jaune's. "Hey Spec, it's all good, right?"

Jaune swallowed, his throat seeming to constrict to the point of choking him. Sam laid a hand on Stevens.

"Stevens, the Spec just woke up, I-"

"Jaune." He cut her off. "What's going on?"

"Stevens." The blond licked his lips nervously. "Aura is...unpredictable."

"Unpredictable how?" The larger man demanded.

"It's...hard to know what'll happen if you unlock it later in life." He felt so stupid, trying to explain something that he only half-understood himself. "You were hurt, I couldn't heal you without unlocking your Aura." He felt his voice start to catch. "...But you were in bad shape, there's a lot of shock-"

"Spec." Stevens stopped him, seeming to stare straight through him.

"Yeah?" He answered hoarsely.

"Am I going to walk again?"

The silence seemed to stretch out for an eternity, and Sam looked torn on which of them to reach out to. He steeled what little of his nerve remained, and answered as honestly as he could.

"I don't know."

"Oh." Stevens replied softly, slowly nodding to himself. "Oh."

"Stevens, I-" He started.

"Did you know?" The giant questioned.

"Stevens!" Sam warned, squeezing his hand.

The big man shook his head. "I'm sorry. I-" He swallowed. "What am I going do?"

"You're going to heal up." She comforted.

The soldier barked a laugh. "You heard him." He said, motioning to Jaune. "I ain't getting better, Sam." His breath caught for a moment. "Bullhead Assault doesn't need guys that can't walk."

"At least you made it back." She argued.

"Maybe I didn't want to this way!" He shouted back, causing her to flinch back. His face instantly softened. "Sam, I-" He stopped and looked away. "This is everything to me." He whispered.

Jaune took a slow step forward. "Stevens…"

"Can...can you guys give me a minute? I just-." He choked again. "I-"

Sam leaned over and hugged the giant of a man. "We'll be right outside. You're a Beowolf. Don't you ever forget that." With that, she stood up, crossed over the young blond, took him by the hand and led him out of the room. The sounds behind them threatened to tear his heart from his chest. He stood dumbly staring at the floor, not sure how much time passed until he felt a hand on his arm. He looked up to see Sam looking up at him.

"First, you ok?" She asked softly.

"I-, yeah."

"It's not your fault. You did what you had to. No one blames you." She squeezed his arm. "Least of all Stevens."

He shook his head. "Sam, he's-"

"Going home." She finished for him. "That's better that what it would have been." She grabbed his chin and tilted his face towards her. "You saved him. You hear me?"

"Yeah." He whispered.

She nodded. "Good. I'm going back in. You stay out here, I'll come get you when he's ready, ok?"

"Yeah." He answered again.

She squeezed his arm once more, and then silently slipped back into the room. She had barely left before he collapsed to the floor.

She was wrong. It was his fault. He had made the call on the intel. He had led the mission to go get RWBY. He had been the one that couldn't bring down Adam.

First Pyrrha. Now Ricky and Stevens. Almost-

"Kid, you scared the shit out of that nurse."

He looked up to see a tired Qrow looking down at him, leaning against the wall.

"Sorry." He said softly, looking over the older Hunter's many bandages. He reached out a hand. "Do you want me to-"

The man snorted. "Don't even think about it. You're barely keeping it together as is. You don't have any Aura to spare."

Jaune let his hand drop to his side. Another thing he couldn't help with.

"Ricky's gone." He whispered.

Qrow winced. "I'm sorry, kid. It was a rough day out there. We lost a lot of good people. Those kinda days can be hard to deal with." He sighed and slowly lowered himself to the ground next to the knight. "I've had a couple. You know, the thing about rough days, is you start thinking some crazy shit." He kicked at the knight's boots with his own. "You, kid? You look like you're thinking some crazy shit." He looked over at the younger man. "You want to talk about it?"

Jaune drew his knees into his chest. "No."

The Hunter sighed. "Yeah, I know that feeling too."

They sat in silence for a while, leaning against the wall, watching the hospital staff moving back and forth, ignoring the two men in the middle of their hall. His mind was racing. He had to do something. He had to make something go right. Then it clicked. He knew what he had to do. Who he could save. Enven if it was from himself. He slowly pushed himself up off the wall, looking down the hall blankly.

"What's on your mind, Angst-knight?" Qrow asked from the floor.

"Where's Yang?" He asked quietly.

"Kid, I'm going to ask you something, and you're going to answer me honestly." His friend started. "Are you asking because you need somebody or because you're about to do something stupid?"

"I need to talk to her, Qrow."

"Then you look me in the eye and you answer my damn question." The man demanded.

"I've got to talk to her." He repeated, starting off down the hall.

"Motherfuc-." He heard Qrow grunt as he tried to stand. "Kid, you're scared! Everybody gets scared! Don't do something that you're going to regret!"

The older Hunter was right about one thing, he was scared. But he wasn't going to regret this. He stumbled down the hall, asking the first nurse he saw where she was. The woman asked him something with a concerned look on her face after answering him. The words didn't register, and in a moment, he was moving past her. He had somewhere he needed to be. Something that he needed to do. He was a ghost, silent gliding down the hallway, eyes searching the numbers over the door until they fell upon what he was looking for.

Room 3A.

His hand hovered over the door handle and he froze, fear coursing through him again. It was a familiar feeling at this point, it had come up every time he'd run this through his head.

He was afraid of seeing her hurt, he was afraid of her being angry with him over his failures, and far worse - he was afraid of her willingness to forgive those failures.

And so, he stood in front of a hospital door, too terrified to move.

He steeled himself. He'd come here for a reason, even if it wasn't one that she'd understand right away. Even if it was tearing him apart on the inside, it was the right choice. It had to be.

His hand numbly worked the handle to the door, pushing it open to reveal Ruby standing bedside, looking worse for wear from the events of the previous day. That didn't matter right now, the only one that mattered was sitting in the bed, giving him a smile that broke his heart.

"Heya, Ladykiller."

"Hey yourself, Bright-eyes." He responded hoarsely.

He wasn't aware of when he'd walked over to the bed, but he knew he must have at some point, because he was holding her hand, his thumb slowly tracing over its back.

"Was wondering when you were going to stop by. A girl gets bored you know?"

He winced. "Never was very good with timing." He looked down at her. "Obviously."

"Jaune…" she said softly. "Don't do that."

Gods, she was making this hard, impossible even. Behind him, he could hear Ruby, stepping out of the room with a promise to come back if they needed anything. He loved the girl for that, knowing what needed to be done. His eyes flicked over the woman in front of him taking in the bandages wrapped around her stomach, her shoulder, her neck, and once more, he knew what had to be done.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

She smiled softly. "Like I got attacked by an ice-cream themed badger and a bull-goth."

His hand squeezed hers. "Don't joke. You got hurt out there."

She rolled her eyes. "At this point, you should realize that I'm going to joke about everything."

He shook his head. "Not about this."

She tilted her head to look up into his downcast eyes. "What's gotten into you, Ladykiller?

He looked away. "I got you hurt out there."

"You're crazy, that's for sure, but you don't look four feet tall or have a love of black, so I think you're confused." She tried joking again.

"I'm serious, Yang."

"So am I. How can you possibly blame yourself for this?"

"Because it's my fault. I was the one to make the call that led to the strike." He insisted. "Yang, people died out there."

"Jaune, this is what we do, you can't do this to yourself. I know it hurts, but this isn't the way to handle it." She pleaded.

He shook his head. "They deserved better." He loosened his grip on her hand.

He heard her sharp intake of breath. "Jaune.."

He pulled his hand away. "You deserve better."

She chuckled again, but he could hear the fear behind it this time. "Babe, what are you talking about?"

"I'm not strong enough, Yang. Not smart enough. I'm going to get you hurt again." He put his hand behind his back, so she couldn't see it shaking.

There were tears in her eyes. "You're hurting me now, Jaune."

He looked away. "I know. I know, but...you can't rely on me."

She reached for his hand again, and he stepped back.

"I'll let you down again, just like-"

"Don't you fucking say it." She snapped, her eyes blazing red through the tears.

"-Pyrrha." He finished.

"Get out." She whispered.

"I'm sorry." He whispered back.

"I SAID GET THE FUCK OUT!" She screamed.

He nodded. "I...I'll…" He shook his head, a million things flowing through his mind.

I'll be there if you need me, I'll always be there, I'll never let this happen again.

But it all sounded hollow in his head, and so he turned and left, trying and failing to ignore the sobs, trying to tell himself that this needed to be done, trying to ignore the tears running down his own cheek.

Ruby spotted him as he walked through the hall, concern immediately filling her face.

"Jaune, what happened?"

"Go." Was all he could manage, and with that, an flurry of rose petals filled the hall heading back to Yang's room.

It was the right thing he told himself.

But then why did he feel like such a failure?

* * *

They found him before too long. They knew where to look. They always did.

He sat on the torn grass and soil of the spot they'd designated their training area staring off into the tall pines of the Atlas woods. Mercifully, no one spoke as they walked up beside him, Ren taking a seat on his right, Nora on his left. The pinkette sighed as she leaned over and rested her head and began to hum quietly. Ren, for his part, just stared off into the distance with him, stoic as always. It should have been a comfortable silence, well, near silence with Nora involved. It almost always was. But today was different, and they all knew why.

"I know." He spoke into the silence.

"We didn't say anything." Ren answered quietly.

"I know." He repeated. "But I also know."

Nora sighed and shifted beside him. "Jauney, none of us are smart enough for word games."

"Not even Ren?" He asked with a small smile.

She hummed. "Well, two out of three of us aren't."

"You hear that, Ren? You're the smart one. Want to take over for me for a while?" He asked.

The ninja tsked. "Not likely."

"See? Knew you were smart." He joked weakly.

"That's not all we've heard, Jaune." Ren answered.

He let out a tired breath. "Yeah, I know."

Nora jabbed an elbow into his side. "You're doing it again."

"Sorry, I-" He swallowed. "I know you guys don't agree. I know you think I'm being dumb, but-"

"We think you're hurting." The green-clad boy corrected.

"I am." He agreed. "But that doesn't make me wrong."

Ren hummed. "No, it doesn't."

"Do you feel right?" Nora asked softly.

He scowled. "Of course not."

"What do you feel?" She continued.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Tired. I feel tired."

"It's ok to be tired." Ren acknowledged.

"I feel like there's a 'but,' coming."

Ren smirked. "Another thing you 'know?'"

Jaune glanced over at the boy. "I know you."

"And we know you." His friend replied.

"This isn't you, Jauney." Nora added.

"I think this is exactly me, I think that's the problem, Nora. I think that's always been the problem." He sighed. "I know it sounds like I'm being a bitch-"

"I agree, it's very unbecoming of a Specialist." A fourth voice confirmed.

His heart froze in his chest. He'd somehow forgotten with everything going on. She was coming back. She was coming for her team. The one that was currently sitting in shambles in a hospital room because of him. His throat felt dry and his breaths became quick and shallow.

"Especially my Specialist." Winter continued, turning to Ren and Nora. "Could you give us a moment?" The boy in green nodded, and taking his partner by the hand, began to move back towards the sea of tents behind them. He listened to their footsteps fade into the distance, desperate for them to stop, to come back and save him from being alone with her judgement. Then immediately felt weak for wishing for it. He steeled his nerve, not enough to turn and face her, but enough to speak.

"Winter, I-"

"Thank you."

He did turn at that, rising to his feet. "What?"

She stood there, just a few short feet away, somehow managing to look tired and professional at the same time. Her hair wasn't quite right, wasn't as neat as it usually was. There were the hints of bags under her eyes, signs of a sleepless night. Yet, in spite of that, she seemed unshakeable.

"I said thank you." She repeated. "You went in for Wiess' team when you didn't have to. You probably saved her life."

He scoffed. "I put her life at risk."

She tilted her head at that. "How so?"

"I was the one that reported the information about Adam up! I let them fall right into that trap!" He shouted.

"Did you?" She questioned. "Were you the one that sent that bullhead off to find Adam? That wasn't your call."

"It was my call!" He argued. "I could have-"

"Done what? Held onto the info? Maybe delay the assault until it was your team on Alert? Or CFVY?" She challenged. "They would have sent someone, Jaune."

"But I-"

"Don't." Winter stopped him. "Don't go down that road. No one knows what might've happened. Maybe something could have gone differently. Maybe better, maybe worse. No one knows. It's impossible to know. You can drive yourself crazy with the what ifs." She walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently. "You did make a call though."

He shook his head. "One that got our team hurt."

"I don't see anyone pointing fingers but you, Jaune. No one questions your decision. You were on a timeline, and you made a call." She squeezed his arm again. "And people got hurt, but people came home too."

"You don't understand." He pleaded.

"What don't I understand, Jaune?" She sighed. "Who do you think made the call the first time we went after Adam? I chose what team went to which location. I made a call, and it turning out to be the wrong one."

"But you made your call because you were trying to right by your team." He shot back.

"And why did you make yours?" She asked.

"Because I was scared!" He snapped. "Because my friends were out there! Because Yang was out there, I couldn't think of anything else!" He slapped a hand on his chest. "I went there because I needed to, and I took them with me!" His breaths were coming heavy and ragged now, and he could feel the sting of tears in his eyes. He looked away, he couldn't meet her gaze, not now, not after this. He waited for the rage, the judgement.

"Is that all?" Came her soft reply.

His gaze snapped back to her. "What?"

"That's what bothering you?"

"Yes!" He cried. "Doesn't it you?"

"Jaune." She said slowly. "If you think for an instant that I would have made a different call, you're out of your goddamn mind."

"I-"

"She's my sister, Jaune. The person that I'm the closest to in this world was there. I would have taken the entirety of the Atlas military in there if I had the power." She shook her head. "That doesn't make it right, or wrong, it just makes it true."

"But we're supposed to be better than that." He argued.

"No, we're not." She countered. "Even if we wanted to be, even if that's what the team expected of you, it's impossible." She gave him a sad smile. "We are, and forever will be, people first and soldiers second. But let we ask you something. Do you think that the team didn't have friends that they would have gone after, with or without you?"

"But they didn't have a choice."

She scoffed. "Jaune, if you're dumb enough to believe that, I'll take you off of my team right now. They had a choice, and they chose to follow you." She grabbed his chin and tilted it towards her. "They chose you because they believed in you, and they were going into that building one way or the other."

"They were wrong to."

"Then that was their call and you don't get to take that away from them."

"But Winter, people are dead." He pleaded.

"And others are alive." She sighed. "Listen, Jaune, things happened out there that can't unhappen, and they'll stick with you for the rest of your life. I can't take that pain away from you, no matter how much I want to. Here's what I can do for you. Tell you that you made a decision, and no one on that team is going to question you on it."

"And that makes it ok?" He spat.

"Of course not. It'll never be ok." She rested her hand on his shoulder again. "But it happened. Now comes the hard part, living with it."

He ran a hand through his hair and chuckled. "Gods, how do you deal with this?"

"As a team." She answered.

He shook his head. "I don't think I'm ready for that."

She hummed. "I understand." They stood in silence for a moment, staring out into the darkened forest. "Do you know what I like about this edge of camp, why I made it our training ground?"

"No." He said, softly.

"It's so far out of the way that no one bothers us. It's the only place in camp where we can be as loud as we get without bothering anyone. I bet you could be as loud as you wanted and no one would hear."

"You think so?"

"I know so, so tell me, how do you feel?" She asked.

He stared into darkness, and he screamed, falling to his knees.

"Yeah," he heard her say quietly behind him. "Sometimes it feels like that." She walked over to him and touched his arm. "You want me to stay?"

He shook his head silent.

She nodded. "Ok, but come back soon, we're going to need you tomorrow. For Ricky."

"Yeah." He whispered, reaching up and touching her hand for a moment. "Thank you."

"We're a team." She said simply, before starting to slip away. "A team that's hurting. I'll see you back there soon."

"Soon." He promised, listening to her footsteps fade. "Soon."

* * *

His second ramp ceremony was so much the same, and yet such a different experience from the first. Just like last time, the armored vehicles slowly rolled down the airfield ramp, but he wasn't in formation this time, watching from a distance. No, this time, the vehicle stopped directly in front of him. No longer was he an outsider, seemingly out of place, a voyeur into someone else's grief. No, now he was a part of it in full.

It made it infinitely worse.

He stepped forward when the vehicle halted, taking his place in line alongside Winter, Rob, Chief, and Sam. They silently accepted Ricky's casket as it was passed down to them, hoisting it up onto their shoulders and beginning their slow, solemn march towards the cargo planes waiting to take the dead home. It still felt wrong to him on some level that he'd never seen the young man's body. It was surreal, and yet it was the truth.

The ceremony seemed both shorter and longer than the last. Shorter, in that he couldn't seem to remember any clear moment of it. Longer, in that being there seemed to be all that he could remember. A gentle hand on his arm drew his gaze. He looked down and saw Sam looking up at him, saying something.

He sighed. "Sorry. Lost for a minute there."

She gave him a comforting smile. "It's ok. I said that Stevens wants to see you."

He balked at that. "You sure?"

She nodded. "Yeah, now come on, they're taking off soon."

He nodded back and let her guide him towards the ramp of one of the giant cargo aircraft, a team of maintenance workers already swarming over it, prepping it for launch. There, sitting in a wheelchair just short of the giant metal ramp, was Stevens, Rob standing behind him, a dressing covering part of his face.

The big man gave him a tired smile. "Man, you look different from down here."

"Yeah." He said dumbly.

The giant turned to Sam. "Is this what you short people feel like all the time?"

"Stevens." She pleaded.

"Yeah." He coughed. "I uh, I'm sorry about yesterday, I-"

"Stevens, what the hell are you apologizing for?"

The soldier shook his head. "No, that wasn't right. I was upset." He scowled. "I'm still fucking upset." He looked up at the blond. "But not at you, bro. You saved my life out there."

Jaune swallowed. "I-"

"You saved my life." Stevens said again, firmly.

"Only after you saved mine."

The big man smiled at that. "Yeah, I guess I did. You think they give out medals for that?"

Jaune chuckled. "If they do, I gotta tell you, I owe them to a lot of people."

"Ain't that the truth? What are you going to do without me a Pete here to watch out for you?"

The knight grimaced at that, and the soldier snorted.

"Bro, I was kidding." He nudged Sam. "Our favorite ladies are going to watch over you, and you're going to watch out for them, right?"

"Yeah." The blond agreed hurriedly.

The soldier nodded. "Good. That makes me feel like I can trust you with this." He said, shuffling around in a small duffle bag hanging from the side of his chair.

"Stevens, you don't have to-" His voice caught as he saw what Stevens pulled forth from the bag. An old, battered and scratched pistol. His father's gun. "Stevens, I can't-"

"Jaune." The larger man cut him off. "Please." He pleaded, holding the weapon out.

He reached out slowly, fingers seeming to protest against the movement as they wrapped around the grip of the weapon. "Why?" He asked softly.

"Cause I ain't going to be using it where I'm going." The giant answered, his eyes beginning to water. "And that's meant to be out here, with Assault. It's what my old man would have wanted."

"But it's yours." He insisted.

Stevens nodded. "Which is why you're going to bring it back to me. After all this is done." He grinned. "You and the First are buying the first round, after all."

"Drinks are on me. As much as you guys can handle." The knight promised.

The soldier whistled. "You hear that, Sam?"

"Sure did, sounds like we're going to get someone arrested."

Stevens chuckled. "Yeah, should be a good time." He smiled at Jaune. "If you guys hurry, you can make it back in time to watch Pete become a daddy, that'll be a good excuse for getting hammered."

"Yeah." Jaune agreed.

"Now, I'm trusting you." The big man said, his breath catching. "You bring them home, bro."

"I give you my word as an Arc."

Stevens laughed a bit and shook his head. "I have no idea what that means, but it sounds legit." He reached up and wiped a tear from his eye. "Brothers, Rob, you were supposed to wheel me away before I embarrassed myself."

The older man tsked. "You think this is you being embarrassing? I've got videos on my Scroll I could show you." He offered.

"Shut up and push, asshole." He shot back playfully, before looking back at Jaune one last time. "I'll see you on the other side, bro. Take care of them."

"I promise."

"Good enough for me." He said with a smile, looking up at Rob. "Now, mush!"

"Har har." The veteran mocked, turning the chair and nodding to them. "See you guys soon."

"Soon." They agreed. They stood and watched the two men wheel up into the hold of the aircraft, Rob appearing once more and hopping down as the ramp raised a clamp shut. They moved back to the edge of the taxiway and watch in silence as the thing's mighty engines power up, carrying it down the runway before groaning as it lifted into the sky.

The whole walk back towards their tents, Jaune fiddled with the empty weapon, turning it over in his hands, trying to memorize every groove and scratch. It was rugged, it was beaten, it was perfect. He barely remembered parting ways with Sam as he found his tent. He pushed through the cloth flap and found it empty. He sat the pistol down on the simple, wooden desk and took a seat, pulling out a few loose sheets of paper from the drawer. Then, he did something he should have done a long, long time ago.

 _Dad,_

 _I know it's been awhile..._

* * *

 **Jiu: Man, not the most fun chapter to write. This probably doesn't give a lot of people warm fuzzies, and it didn't give me any either. An unfortunate truth is that bad things will happen to good people. Sometimes they have a part in it happening, sometimes they don't. It's a hard, bitter pill to swallow, and people, like Jaune, struggle to do so. It's often a point in their lives where people stumble. Then they have to pick themselves back up, usually with some help. So, sorry for the mopey fucking chapter, here's an Omake to sooth those wounds.**

* * *

 **Omake**

 **Lowered Expectations**

 **All credit to ZHsteven for the idea**

He steeled his nerve, not enough to turn and face her, but enough to speak.

"Winter, I-"

"Jaune, do you know how long I was gone for?"

He swallowed. "Well, I-"

"Four days. Not four months. Not for weeks. Four days. Just four." She sighed and massaged her temples. "And do you know what happened in those four days?"

He coughed and shuffled his feet. "Ok, I know it looks bad-"

"You done fucked up."

"Hey, I didn't-"

"Fuck up alone?" She cut him off. "Oh no, you had help, that's for sure. Qrow done fucked up, little miss silver eyes-mcguffin done fucked up, whoever decided to send you guys after Adam fucked up, and apparently I fucked up because I thought I could trust you all with continuing to breath without me being here."

"Ok, I know you're upset, but I feel like you're a little spun up right now."

"Am I!?" She shouted. "Gee, I wonder why!? Maybe it's because I left for the equivalent of a long weekend, and there is no more Ursa and Beowolves! Do you think that might have something to do with it?"

"Um-"

"I mean, you can't even binge watch a good TV series in that amount of time! It's honestly impressive!"

"In my defense-"

"Oh good, I'm excited to hear this."

"-you did leave me in charge." He rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I feel like we should have been able to predict this outcome. The history is there."

She seethed for a moment, eyes boring holes into him, before taking a long, deep breath and slowly letting it out. "It's fine. I mean, it's not fine at all, but it's fine. We're going to rebuild, we'll have ground rules-"

"Like?"

"Like Jaune doesn't get to touch anything anymore. Jaune doesn't get to think about the word responsibility. You know, the essentials."

"Sounds reasonable." He agreed.

"The important thing is that it's over. There's nothing else that's going to go wrong and we're on the downside of the shenanigans."

Jaune hummed as he pulled out his reading glasses and began to flip through a think ream of paper.

She raised an eyebrow. "What is that?"

"The script."

"We have a script!?" She half-shouted.

He shrugged. "Yeah, found it laying around the other day. This author guy is pretty lazy apparently."

She scoffed. "Well obviously, I wasn't in the last few chapters!"

"Well, I've got good news and bad news on that front."

She groaned. "What?"

He winced. "Well, the bad new is, we've got plenty of shenanigans coming up."

She sighed. "And the good news?"

"You get to be there for all of it!" He replied chipperly.

"I want to talk to my manager."


	18. Fighting Scared

**Cr00cy, will the fun times never end?**

 **Merry Christmas you hooligans, also, we have a special beta today!**

* * *

 **Special Beta:**

Voltegeist: Thanks for having me Jiu. That's right ZH_Steven, it's happening

* * *

 **Chapter 17**

 **Fighting Scared**

* * *

 **W.S. Quote Book Says:** _"The strength of a family, like the strength of an army, lies in its loyalty to each other." - Mario Puzo_

 **W.S. Playlist Says:** _You said that "Next time there won't be no next time", looked me in my eye - I told her "We gon' be alright" - Joyner Lucas, 'We Gon Be Alright'_

* * *

He'd been fiddling with the top of the pistol for the past few minutes, trying to separate it from the weapon. Guns were supposed to come apart, he knew that at least. Ruby had drilled it into his head during their travels through Mistral. There had to be a switch or a-

"What are you doing?" Winter's voice called from the bunk bellow.

He sighed. "Nothing."

"Well, 'nothing' is loud enough that I can hear it over my music, which is pretty impressive. You know, most people have enough respect for their bunkmates that they wait till they're asleep, or go to the showers."

He choked. "It's not like that!"

"Perhaps you should go visit your beau's tent again? Just tell me wherever you two end up, so I can avoid that place for the rest of the deployment."

"I don't think you have to worry about that." He said sullenly.

"Yes, your moping did give me that impression."

"I'm not-" He sighed again. "Goddammit, Winter."

"Want to talk about it?"

"No."

She hummed. "Very well, then what are you fiddling with?"

"...It's a gun."

"And now I feel the need to be far away from this tent."

"I know how to use one!" He defended.

"Jaune, if you can tell me whether that is single or double action, I'll relinquish the SDC to you."

"You're not even the heiress anymore." He shot back.

"And you're not a shooter, so we're both pretending to be something we're not. Now, get down here before you hurt someone with that."

He grumbled to himself as he rolled off the bed, landing with a dull thud next to the Specialist, laid out on her bed with her headphones around her neck. He handed her the weapon with a resigned grunt.

"It's Stevens', I...I want to use it."

She hummed as she turned the pistol over in her hands, examining the craftsmanship of the weapon.

"It's old. I think my grandfather used a similar model." She commented.

"He said it was his dad's." He offered.

"Makes sense." She looked up at him from over the pistol. "This is what you want to use?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

She grunted as she sat up, motioning towards the room's single desk. "Then I suppose I need to show you how it's done, don't I?"

"You don't have-"

"No Specialist of mine will be shooting himself in the foot." She cut him off. "Go sit in the chair, Jaune."

"Yes, ma'am." He sighed as he pulled the seat out and settled.

"You're finally learning."

"It's been beaten into me." He admitted. "Now, how do I make it work?"

She shook her head as she leaned over him. "The first thing you need to do is learn is a little bit about firearms. They're incredibly useful, but dangerous if mishandled. You remember where the safety is?"

He flicked it off and on again. "Yep."

"Ok, you set that, then you take out the magazine."

He pressed the appropriate button and caught the magazine. "Got it."

"You see this part here?" She said, pointing to the top of the gun.

"Yeah."

"It's called the slide. You rack it back to chamber a round."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I got that part."

"Do you want help or not?"

"Sorry." He mumbled.

"Better, now pull it back and ensure there's no round in the chamber."

"But I just took out the-"

"Jaune."

"Right." He agreed, pulling the slide back and showing her the empty chamber. She nodded.

"Good, now release it and check the safety one more time."

"We just did that."

"Better safe than sorry. Now, see this switch here?"

"Uh-huh."

"Flip it down and pull the slide forward." She instructed.

He did so, and tsked as the slide came off in his hand.

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. Now, you're looking at the mechanism of the weapon itself." She reached an arm over him and pointed at the slide he was holding in his left hand. "This is the barrel assembly. I want you to remove the spring first."

"Ok, got it." He said as he did so.

"Then press here and remove the barrel itself." She said, pointing. Once he had done so, she continued. "See, now you've got all the big parts and pieces. You've got to break it down from time to time, you can't just expect it to function normally without some regular maintenance. Sometimes things can get jammed up, especially when you're in a rough place like Vacuo. But that's ok, you just need to open it up and give it a little bit of…"

"We still talking about the gun?"

"Are you ready to talk about things that aren't the gun?"

"Nope."

She shrugged. "Then we're still talking about the gun. Now, take a look at the receiver."

"The what?"

She sighed. "The part that you hold."

"Oh, the grippy part."

"I'm going to smother you in your sleep."

He chuckled nervously. "I'm looking at the receiver!"

She shook her head. "The receiver is where your hammer." She pointed out the offending piece. "And this here is the sear and spring."

"I'm going to pretend I understand what any of this does."

"And I'm going to pretend I think you're smarter than a box of rocks."

"Ouch."

"Shut up." She said as she slapped the back of his head. " It doesn't matter if you don't know how it works, what matters is that you need to take care of it. We'll get you a cleaning kit from supply and I'll walk you through it. Now, put it back together."

He sighed. "Yes, ma'am."

She watched as he slowly and clumsily reassembled the weapon, nodding to himself as he finished.

"Ok."

She raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"

"I mean, I was a lot more sure before you said that." He admitted.

She chuckled. "Aim it away from me, well away from me, and try to dry fire it."

He shrugged, aimed the weapon towards the wooden floor of the tent, and squeezed the trigger, sighing when nothing happened.

"There's supposed to be a 'click,' right?"

"There is." She gently took the weapon from his grasp, looking it over. "Do you think it's broken?"

He scoffed. "What? No! I just put it together wrong."

She hummed. "So, you think that even though it didn't work this time, it's still useful? That if we take the time to open it back up, we might be able to fix it?"

"Ok, we're 100% not talking about the gun anymore."

"Sorry, metaphors were never my thing," She said, pulling the weapon back apart with practiced ease before beginning to reassemble it. "But I'm right about done with this sad sack business. We're talking about this." She pointed the weapon to the floor and pulled the trigger with a click.

He groaned. "I just feeling down, Winter. It's been a rough few days."

She put a hand on his shoulder. "I know, but you're not doing yourself any favors here. You've got to get out of this tent."

"And do what?"

She shrugged. "I don't care. Spar. Run. Go have some healthy human interaction. You're hurting, but as a wise man once said, 'when you're closest to defeat, you get to your feet.'"

He snorted. "That's definitely a rap lyric."

"It's possible."

"Didn't that guy also say that 'bitches ain't nothing but hoes and tricks?'"

"And yet, I've never held it against you."

He barked a laugh. "Ok, that was pretty good."

She smirked. "I know, I said it."

"Humble, aren't we?"

"Want to show me some in the ring? The gym should be pretty clear right about now."

He hummed and leaned back in his chair. "I think I'll pass."

She kicked the raised legs of the chair, sending him tumbling to the floor.

"Fuck! What the hell, Winter!"

"Get your clothes, we're going on a run." She demanded.

He grumbled as he rolled to his feet, rifling around in his small dresser till he came out with a pair of Atlas military-issued sweats. Winter tapped her foot impatiently as he pulled them and his shoes on, jerking her head towards the front of the tent when he finished.

The cool Atlesian air hit him like a wall, and he shivered as the fog of his breath filled his vision. He briefly considered ducking back inside to grab his beanie, but Winter took off like a bat out of hell. He cursed and stumbled his way out of the tent, feet churning as he rushed to catch up with her. She led them through the sea of tents to the perimeter fence and began to run along it. As his heart pounded in ears and the evening's cold began to slip away, he discovered that Winter was as good at running as she was at most things. Infuriatingly. An hour later, they finished their loop, and she trotted to halt, shaking her legs out as she turned to face him. He tried not to hold the fact that she wasn't breathing hard against her, he really did.

"All...good...on the exercise?" He panted.

She snorted. "Hardly, we still have to spar."

He sighed. "Yeah? I think we're missing a things. You know, like our weap- shit!" He finished with a yelp as her foot sailed inches above his head. "Goddammit, Winter!" He cried, ducking under another strike. "You could've warned me!"

"Fight now. Bitch later." She informed him, falling into stance. "Come."

He growled and shot forward, intent on overwhelming the smaller woman. His jab snapped out and she slipped to the side, watching him impassively. He pressed on, following her as he moved to press her back into the fence. He felt a sense of elation as the distance between them and the obstacle closed from two meters to one, then just a few short lengths. He was almost there. He was doing it. He lunged forward again, his right hand shooting forth to knock her back and claim the spar.

He both heard and felt the crack of her cross slamming into his nose. He cursed as he stumbled back, holding his arms high and in front to protect his head as his vision swam. When the stars faded, he saw Winter bouncing calmly a few paces away, her back facing the field once more.

"That was good." She complimented.

He shot forth again, taking a wide swing at his partner, which she easily ducked under, planting a fist into his ribs for his efforts.

"That was less so."

"Fuck you." He hissed, swinging again.

"No, thank you." She replied, whipping a jab into his face. He grunted as his head snapped back, spitting on the ground before throwing himself at her once more. Again and again she weaved around his blows, leaving a strike of her own for everyone he missed. All he could see was red. Why has she forcing him through this? Didn't she understand that he just wanted to be left alone?

 _Fuck it._ Was his thought as he charged her again, intent on tackling her to ground where his size would mean something. A hope that was quickly dashed as she pivoted out of the way, pushing him to the ground in a heap as he shot past.

She hummed. "What happened?"

"You kicked my ass." He spat, pushing himself up on his hands and knees.

"True."

"Not in the mood, Winter."

"Very well, then tell me why I kicked your ass?"

He scoffed. "Because you're better than me. Any more life lessons, coach?"

She ignored the bait. "It's because I was countering you. Waiting for you to move, then taking advantage of the opening."

"Good for yo-"

"Seems familiar doesn't it?"

He stopped at that, working his jaw for a moment before half-spitting the name. "Adam."

She nodded in agreement. "That's what he does, and he's damn good at it."

"I noticed." He shot back.

"I'm sure. Do you remember our lesson about feinting? About watching the body?"

He barked a laugh at that. "How could I forget? That one was...interesting."

He could swear he could make out a blush in the moonlight. "I might have...overdone parts of that one, but that's not what's important." He opened his mouth to retort and she cut him off. "You understand why you need to feint, but you're doing so to attack."

He sighed. "Isn't that the point?"

"Usually," she agreed. "But in this case, when you're fighting someone like Adam, you don't need to lead."

"I don't follow."

"You feint, and you let the counter fighter make his move, then you counter the counter. You're forcing them to take the initiative, to fight moving forward, rather than where they're most comfortable, moving backwards."

He flopped onto his back. "Sounds easier said than done."

"It is." She agreed.

"So, what does it matter? I'm still not as good as you."

"That's not the point."

"Then what is the point!?" He snapped, sitting up again.

She sighed. "For you to learn, Jaune."

"Well, mission accomplished, I've learned that I can't-"

"Do you want to know a secret?" She cut him off. When he raised an eyebrow, she continued. "My left knee is a trick knee. Old combat injury, gives out now and again."

He tilted his head to the side. "Why are you telling me?"

She held her hand out to him. "Let's see what you do with that info." He stared at the hand for a moment before accepting it, letting himself be pulled to his feet. "Begin again." She instructed.

He nodded, then began slowly circling, trying to place her between himself and the perimeter fence again. He began to move forward again, slower this time, throwing out two fake strikes for every real one. She took them in stride, her reactions minor, but there. She still avoided his blows, but her retorts were slower, and he found himself able to hop out of the way, if not strike back. He decided to test the waters, and faked a kick towards her injured knee. The reaction was both telling and instinctive, she shot her leg backwards, leaving her off balance. The jab that followed the fake was the first strike he landed all fight. She nodded to him in acknowledgement as she shook it off, beginning her steady circling pattern to keep her back off the fence again as if nothing happened. He grit his teeth. What he was about to try was dirty, but it was his only chance at victory. He faked another strike at her leg, waiting for her to move it out of the way again. When she did, he surged forth, ignoring the counter that bounced off his shoulder and slamming into her, forcing them to the ground and bringing his knee down on hers. The response was immediate.

"Off! Off! Off!" She shouted.

He rolled off in a panic. "Winter, are you ok!? I'm so sorry!"

She hissed as she clutched at her knee. "I'm good, I'm good." She took a deep breath and gave him a small smile. "See?"

He shook his head. "You told me what to do."

She scoffed. "I gave you an idea. Everything else was you."

"Yeah, sure." He agreed, tentatively reaching out and straightening the leg. "Too bad Adam won't do the same."

"You sure?" She countered. "You seem awfully alive to me. Must have figured something out."

"I got lucky."

She tsked. "No such thing. You used your head, that's what matters."

"It didn't matter enough."

She narrowed her eyes. "My team is alive, that's what matters."

"I-"

"Performed as well as you could." She sighed, sitting up. "Do you know why I told you about the knee, Jaune?"

"Because you're nuts." He placed his hand over her knee. "Sit still, I might be able to-"

"The injury is too old. Thank you though." She put a hand on his shoulder. "It's because I trust you. The Beowolves trust you." He opened his mouth to protest and she shushed him. "You're about to say something foolish, like 'I don't deserve it.'" She hummed. "Deserve rarely has much to do with it. It's a fact, and it's something you grow into. Do you want to know what happened to my knee?"

He sighed. "I've got a feeling you're going to tell me either way."

She smirked. "Finally learning about the chain of command, are we?"

"You're a strange woman."

"So I've been told." She leaned back onto the ground. "Did you know that I was the youngest First in Specialist history?" She sighed. "20 years old and given my own team. It was such an honor." She chuckled. "It's embarrassing to admit now, but I called Weiss and Klein the second it happened. I had to brag to someone."

He barked a laugh, which earned him a glare. "Sorry," he apologized, "you just don't seem the type."

She hummed. "Being young and dumb isn't a trait that's exclusive to you, you know."

"Thanks."

"Anytime. Suffice to say, I could do no wrong. At least, in my own mind. I was so damn excited when they gave me my first mission. A rush job, rescuing a group of SDC executives that the Fang had kidnapped and was holding hostage at the old Council building. They thought that was pretty poetic, apparently."

He blinked. "That seems…"

"Like a giant conflict of interest? Oh, it was, but didn't matter to the commander at the time. I mean, can you just imagine the headlines? What is effectively Atlas royalty stopping the Fang single handedly? The press would have had a field day."

"I don't remember hearing about a rescue."

"Yes, that's because massacres don't make for very good propaganda."

He winced. "Oh."

She closed her eyes. "It all started well enough. I managed to get through the outer layer of security relatively easily. So easily in fact, that I didn't even bother slowing down for my team when I hit building. I just whipped threw the men at the door." She sighed. "Jaune, I was invincible. I was going to show those Fang fools what it meant to mess with Atlas...I was going to make my father proud." She whispered the last before shaking her head. "Except that didn't turn out to be quite true. Much to my surprise, it turned out the Fang had some pretty capable fighters. There were these vipers twins, at least, I think that's what they were. We were cutting each other up pretty good, but I was starting to get the upper hand." She scowled. "That's when they executed the first prisoner."

He hissed and she gave him a wan smile. "Yes, it caught my attention too. So much so, that I missed the the follow-up strike. That was it for my knee." She took a deep breath and steeled herself. "It all went downhill pretty fast from there. They had me backed into a corner and sealed the to the room so the team couldn't get it. I was scared, Jaune. I was really, really scared."

"What did you do?" He asked softly.

"I panicked. I started to summon something, anything that would save me." She drew her knees into her chest. "I don't know what it was, but it was half formed, it was unstable, and it was big. It brought the building down on us, Jaune."

"Winter…"

"I was digging through the rubble for hours. My hands barely had any skin left on them by the time the General pulled me off himself. Had to force me to sit for long enough to get treated. I was so damn focused on getting back there, to finding those people. Well, I was till the tears started. Then I wasn't worried about much besides staining the General's shirt. That was it for me. I was done. I knew I was done."

"What happened?"

She shrugged. "James, the General, took me in. Let me know that I wasn't alone. Kept me from driving myself crazy thinking about it over the next few weeks. Let me cry when I needed to." She gave him a small smile. "And when I was ready, gave me a new family."

"The Beowolves." He said in understand.

She nodded. "And I've been trying make up for it ever since."

"To who?"

She shrugged again. "To those hostages. To the General. To myself." She shook her head. "But, after awhile, it started mattering less. It's still with me, but taking care of the people that still here kind of took over." She looked over to him and let out a small laugh. "And that's a very long story to say that my knee is garbage."

He shook his head. "Winter...I'm so sorry."

She snorted. "Don't be, it's in the past. I can't change it, neither can you."

"Yeah, but...I don't know."

She sighed and found her feet, brushing herself off. "I know the feeling. Just think on it and know that I'm here if you decide you're ready to talk." She glanced back towards the camp. "Speaking of wanting to talk, your boyfriend is here."

He tilted his head to the side. "My what?"

She rolled her eyes. "The older Branwen. You can come out now, you old letch." She shouted back towards the tents.

Qrow grumbled as he emerged from the camp. "I wasn't spying, Ice Queen."

"Sure you weren't, lots of people watch others silently without their knowledge." She shot back.

"Har har. Maybe don't give up your day job. You done with the kid? I need to borrow him for a minute."

"He has a name, you know."

He sighed. "Guys, I'm right here."

Qrow ignored him. "Yeah, and if he ever pulls his head out of his ass, I might start using it."

"Fuck you too, old man." The blond shot back.

"Shhh, the adults are talking, kid. So, what say you, Queenie, done with him?"

She sighed. "I suppose. Make sure the he gets back before his bedtime."

"Definitely still here…"

She patted him on the shoulder. "Yes, you continue to do that, but I'm leaving. Enjoy your date." She said, starting back towards the camp.

"It's not a date!" He called after her.

"Use protection." She advised, before slipping between the tents and disappearing.

Qrow just shook his head and looked to the blond. "I don't know how you deal with that day in and day out, kid."

"She's good people." He defended.

The older man chuckled. "Yeah, she's alright." He said before scowling. "Don't you dare tell her I said that."

Jaune smiled. "Your secret is safe with me."

Qrow grunted in acknowledgement before following into silence. They both stared out into the foreboding forest surrounding the camp. He waited for the boy to break, to speak. He didn't have to wait long.

"Qrow listen...I...I know what this is about." He paused. "I know that I hurt her, but I can't protect her...I can't save her."

His hand almost reached for a flask that was no longer there.

 _Gods, I really need a drink right now._

"You done kid?" He asked.

The blond sighed. "Yeah."

"Good, because you're about to make me talk a lot, and I fucking hate talking." He ran a hand through his hair. "You're painfully fucking dumb sometimes, you know that?"

"I have been told." The knight chuckled darkly.

"Did she ask?"

"Did she what?"

"Yang, did she ask to be protected?"

"No, but-"

"Did she ask to be saved?"

"I just-"

"You just wanted what's best for her, and so _you_ decided what was best for her. I'm sure she's taking that well."

"I can't let her get hurt." The boy whispered.

"And what exactly are _you_ going to do to stop it? It sounds to me like you're protecting yourself more than her."

"I-" The knight's eyes found the ground.

He sighed. "Kid, do you remember the night I took you out drinking?"

The blond snorted. "How could I forget?"

The older man tsked. "With as sloppy as you were, I wouldn't be surprised if you purged half your childhood memories." He shook his head. "You remember what I told you?"

Jaune smiled fondly. "We shared a lot of stories that night. I remember you claiming to look pretty good in a skirt."

Qrow ignored him. "I told you to stop letting life pass you by."

The kid nodded. "I took you up on that."

"Did you? Or did Yang?" He sighed again. "Here's the deal kid, bad things are going to happen. They're going to happen to me, they're going to happen to you, and they're going to happen to her. You ready for the scary part? There's not a damn thing you can do about it."

"I get that-"

"I don't think you do." The Hunter interrupted him again. "I think that deep down, wherever the true Jaune lives, you believe that if you just do everything right, if you can just be good enough, then maybe, just maybe, you can save everyone." He looked at the boy. "And when it doesn't work out that way, you get scared."

"Of course I get scared!" Jaune snapped. "Why don't you!?"

He barked a laugh. "Kid, I damn near hyperventilated when we got back. I almost lost everything on that mission, I was terrified."

"You never look it."

"That's because I know something you don't, something that I'd hoped you'd learned by now. Something that you actually helped me realize."

The kid looked at him hopefully. "What?"

"That you can either be scared and alone, or scared and together. There are no other options kid, the fear's not going anywhere, it's a cruel, dark world, and eventually those fears will become a reality. But, until then, maybe you can be there for each other when you're afraid, and maybe, just maybe, that makes it all a little less dark."

The knight looked back into the forest. "I think I've already missed out on that chance."

The older man shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not, I don't know." He flicked his eyes over to the boy. "But you know what I do know? That Ruby's with her right now, trying to be brave, and do you know where you are?"

Silence met his question.

"Out in the middle of the woods with an old drunk. The more things change, the more the things stay the same, eh?"

He barely heard the reply. "What do I do?"

He chuckled. "I don't have all the answers kid. I'm just as likely to put you on the wrong path as the right one." He placed a hand on the knight's shoulder. "But if I were to give advice from one social inept man to another, it would be to stop trying to be brave alone, and go be scared with her." He gave the kid a small smile. "But not tonight, it's too late for that kinda shit, go sleep on it - maybe you'll grow a brain."

He turned and started to walk away, intent on leaving the knight with his thoughts, but a voice called out to him.

"Qrow."

He turned, looking at the boy over his shoulder.

"Thanks, you're a good friend."

He smirked.

"Well, I can't be be a good drinking buddy anymore, so I thought I'd try it out."

He began walking away again, before something stopped him.

"Hey kid."

"Yeah?"

"I know it goes against your nature, but...try not to fuck this up."

"Yeah."

* * *

Blake had told him where she was, but he hardly needed to ask.

He allowed himself a small smile.

Of course it was the gym.

He spotted Ruby guarding the entrance of the large tent, Ember Cecilia at her feet, do doubt keeping regular soldiers from becoming casualties in the war Yang was waging on the facility.

It hurt when her gaze darkened when she saw him.

"Not a good time Jaune."

"I've been told there are no good times." He tried to joke.

Her eyes narrowed. "You've been hanging out with Qrow. I'm not sure if that's going to help or hurt you."

He shrugged. "It's probably running around fifty-fifty at this point."

"Do you know what you're going to say?"

"No idea, Rubes."

She sighed. "You really have been hanging around Qrow too much."

"He does have a way with words."

"Well, you better figure it out. I'm not going to lie to you Jaune, she's not in a good place, she's as likely to hurt you as talk to you, and I'm not sure I'm willing to stop her."

He winced. "That bad, huh?"

She stepped towards him. "You hurt my sister Jaune. Nobody hurts my sister."

"Then why let me in?"

She gave him a small smile. "Because I've been scared too. Too scared to help a friend when he needed it. But, weirdly enough, he heard me out in the end, even gave me a hug."

He smiled back. "Sounds like an alright guy."

"We like him well enough, just needs a confidence boost now and again."

"You know, my dad always used to say-"

"I've got a feeling you're going to need more than that in there." A crash and a scream emanated from the tent. "I wouldn't expect any hugs either."

He laughed. "Noted." He took a deep breath and handed her Crocea Mors. "Wish me luck."

She took the blade from him a smirked. "Go get her, 'Ladykiller.'"

"Har har, leave the jokes to your sister." He shot back as he pushed his way into the tent.

He didn't bother looking towards the weights or the cardio equipment, he knew that there would be only one place that Yang Xiao Long would be right now. He followed the sharp 'cracks' coming from the back of the gym where the training mats were set up.

When he arrived at the back, he saw a familiar sight, Yang laying into a heavy bag like it was Salem herself. He winced as she landed a particularly brutal hook.

 _Or more likely me._

Then next blow caused to bag to split, spilling sand out onto the ground.

"Dammit!" She cried, hurling her gloves away in disgust.

He took a deep breath.

 _Well, now or never._

"They just don't make them how they used to, huh?"

Her head whipped around, and her eyes locked on him.

"What are you doing here?" She growled.

He held up his hands defensively. "I wanted to talk."

She turned away. "I'm in the middle of training in case you haven't noticed. Try again later, maybe when the sun burns out."

He eyed the broken bag. "Looks like you're at a stopping point."

"And I thought you had some balls, but looks can be deceiving that way."

"I guess so." He hummed. "But I figure you're going to need a sparring partner if you don't want to clean up anymore bags today."

"You volunteering?"

He shrugged. "Will it get you to talk to me?"

"Nope."

He sighed. "How about this, I last five minutes with the great Yang Xiao Long, and you give me five minutes."

"Think rather highly of ourselves, don't we?" She mocked.

"I've been told that I'm a pretty decent training dummy. Only one way to find out I guess."

 _Please say yes._

She considered him for a moment.

"If you don't last the five minutes, I don't have to talk to you?"

"Not a word." He promised.

"I'm not going to carry you out of here."

"I didn't think you would."

She mulled it over for a moment, then relented. "Fine, your funeral." She pulled out her Scroll and set a timer, before tossing it to the side. "Ding ding motherfucker."

She shot across the mat like a bullet, even without her weapons to propel her, Jaune was always amazed at how fast she was. He guessed the first strike correctly, a powerful overhand right that shook him through his hastily risen guard..

 _She's pissed._

He wasn't as lucky with the next strike, one the one after. Yang was steadily driving him back, her fists impacting against his arms when he was lucky, and finding homes in his face and body when he wasn't.

 _She's steering me towards the wall._ He realized. _She wants to unload. I've gotta keep my back off the that wall, I've gotta stay mobile-_

His rear foot touched the wall.

 _Fuck._

He watched her coil and prepare to strike, and he did the only thing he could think of.

He hit her as hard as he could with a right hand.

She stumbled back, eyes widening a bit, and he hurriedly shuffled away from the wall, trying to regain his composure. Her eyes flashed red, and she closed again.

 _Dammit, we've just gotten started!_

He met her advance this time, drawing on all of Yang and Qrow's impromptu training sessions on unarmed combat, and swinging at the girl while trying to bring her in close enough to use his size to his advantage. Ironically, he knew Yang being in full berserker mode was the only thing that was saving him. She was far too crafty a striker, and hit far too hard for him to last very long if she was picking her shots, large Aura or no. But, this brawl? This chaos? He could give her that.

He celebrated as his fist slammed home in her stomach, only for it to be cut short as a hook buckled his legs. They were a whirlwind of punches, feet planted firmly in place, any concept of technique or movement abandoned for the opportunity to land even one more blow, to share some pain.

Unfortunately, Jaune was discovering that Yang's punches were cleaner, faster, and better placed than his own. Each blow of his was met by at least two in return, whipping his head around or cracking against his ribs. He tried to make a grab a her, the place some of his weight on her, but was met with a particularly nasty uppercut for his efforts.

 _This is bad, I have no idea how much time has passed, and she IS going to put me out._

He decided on an all or nothing gamble. He threw an winging right hand with everything he had, and watched as she covered up to absorb the blow.

 _This is it!_

He tackled her, slamming into her at the waist and dragging her to the ground. He clasped his hands behind her back, and buried his head in her stomach, desperately trying to ride the remainder of the time out. Yang pushed on the back of his head with one hand, throwing blow after blow with the other, trying to free herself out from under him. He felt her hips start to slip free, and opened his arms to rise up and readjust his grip.

It was a mistake.

Yang exploded, seizing his arm and crashing her hips into him, driving him over as she swept him. She came up on top, straddling his chest. She raised a fist above her head, hesitated for a moment, then brought it crashing down.

A second time.

Then a third.

She paused for a moment, looking into his eyes.

"I don't recall tapping." He informed her weakly.

She slammed her fist down once more, then raised it again. He closed his eyes and waited for the impact.

It was not what he expected.

He felt something hot and wet hit his face, and opened his eyes. Yang was crying, no sobbing was a more accurate description, from the way her shoulders hitched up and down.

"Fuck you, Jaune." She whispered.

A soft beeping from across the mat sounded his salvation.

She rolled off him and regained her feet, turning away from him.

"Say your piece and get the hell out." She demanded.

"I was wrong."

"No shit."

"I hurt you."

"Really batting a thousand here, Jaune."

He took a deep breath, this wasn't going like he expected, but then, he didn't know what to expect.

"I-I think I know why I did it now."

She barked a laugh. "Hell of a thing do to someone if you don't know why."

"That's not what I-. Dammit, Yang, will you at least look at me?" He pleaded.

She rounded on him. "Oh I'm sorry, is the emotional distance bothering you? What must that be like?"

"I got scared, Yang!"

She got in his face. "And I wasn't!? I almost died Jaune, my sister and my uncle almost died." She shoved him. "And what do you do? Give me some, 'it's better this way' bullshit! There's being oblivious and then there's just being weak, Jaune."

He matched her intensity. "I am weak Yang! I barely held together last time! I-I can't...I can't do it again." He took in a shuddering breath and looked at the floor. "There's no you to help me pick up the pieces, and I-" He swallowed. "I got scared."

She grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him in. "And what happens if you buy it!? Do you think that I haven't thought about it? That it doesn't keep me up at night? Wondering if we're going to get separated one day in a fight? If I'm just going to feel the Aura link shut off?" She shook him. "I hate it, Jaune, I hate it with every fiber of my being."

"I-"

"Shut up!" She cried, her eyes ablaze. "I'm not finished! Most importantly, you get this through your thick skull right now, I. AM NOT. PYRRHA! I've never been Pyrrha, I'll never be Pyrrha, so if you're looking for some kind of replacement, you get the hell out of my life right now."

"I never-"

"Then don't you ever fucking compare me to her again! I loved that girl like a sister, but I'm me, Yang Xiao Long, and I know I might buy it out here, but it won't be because I'm her." She looked down for a moment and lowered her voice. "I hate you for making me angry with her."

He leaned into her. "I just-. I know it was wrong, but I just wanted you to have more. You deserve more."

Her eyes whipped back to his. "So you decided that for the both of us?" She whispered dangerously. "Do you know who gets to tell me what I deserve, Jaune? Me, and only me. Not you, not Qrow, and not my father. I decide, and you took that away from me."

His gaze met the ground. "You walked out, Jaune. You walked out like my mom, and you walked out like Blake. We're supposed to be partners, Jaune. Equals. People who trust each other, whether that's in a firefight or a night on the town. That's how this works." She grabbed his chin and forced him to meet her gaze. "How am I supposed to trust you now? How do I know you're not going to walk out the next time things get scary for you?"

He grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "I can't give you any proof, Yang. I can only tell you that I'm here now, that I'm not going anywhere anymore, that I'm tired of being scared, that I want to try to be brave - and that that's scary too, but there's no one else I'd want to try it with."

She looked away. "And what if I say it's not good enough?"

"This is all I have, Yang, this is me." He pleaded.

"Promise me." She whispered.

"What?"

She looked back at him. "I said promise me. An Arc never breaks his word, right?"

He laughed, he couldn't help himself. "That's what you want?"

She nodded. "I want you to promise that no matter what happens between us, you're not going to walk out that door when something scary happens."

"I-"

"Say it."

He nodded. "I, Jaune Arc, son of Arthur Arc, swear upon my name, that I will never leave you out of fear. Out of a sense of compulsion to choose for you. I am yours, if you you'll have me."

"Was that so fucking hard?" She buried her face in his chest and sobbed. "God, you're so dumb it hurts."

He held her and stroked her hair, kissing the top of her head. "I know."

"You made me feel weak, I hate feeling weak."

He squeezed her. "I'm sorry."

She pulled away and looked up at him.

"I need you to trust me, to believe in me."

He kissed her forehead. "I do...partner. Do you believe in me?"

She scoffed. "Against all my better judgement."

He smirked. "Now you're just being difficult."

She snorted. "It's been a difficult day." She ran a thumb under his eye, causing him to wince. "You're going to have at least one black eye for sure."

"We'll tell them I feel down some stairs. We can call it my Blake eye."

She laughed, he thought it was a magical noise.

"You're dumb, and now you're kinda ugly too."

"You could always kiss it better." He suggested.

She grinned. "Jaune Arc. Where do you get off?"

"I mean, we could find out."

She laughed again. "What bad influences have you been Yanging out with?"

"Beautiful blonde brawlers, last time I checked."

She rolled her eyes. "And now you've resorted to flattery."

He smiled sheepishly and shrugged.

She sighed and cupped his cheek. "Still…" She leaned into him, bringing her lips a hair's breadth from his. "...I guess it couldn't hurt to try." She whispered.

* * *

Ruby was a vigilant guard.

She turned away person after person, telling them to come back later, insistent of giving Jaune and her sister all the time they needed, either for healing or closure.

The sounds of a fight didn't really surprise her, that had been a given the minute Jaune had stepped into the tent.

 _Crazy bastard._

The shouting that followed certainly didn't, that was Yang 101.

 _I've certainly been on the receiving end._

The sounds that came after that however? Those brought a blush to her cheeks. She pulled her headphones out and over her ears, and set the volume to max.

 _Guard duty sucks._ She decided.


	19. Arrival

**Cr00cy, we live!**

 **Cr00cy: We live indeed.**

 **Chapter 18**

 **Arrival**

* * *

 **W.S. Quote Book Says:** _"In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity." -_ Albert Einstein _ **  
**_

 **W.S. Playlist Says: "** _Everything costs something bro  
Winning somewhere, somewhere else you just lost something though  
The cost of opportunities is always good to know" - _G-Easy, 'Opportunity Cost'

* * *

He'd heard the term 'walk of shame' before, but he'd never really fully appreciated it till now. As fun/violent as his rendezvous with Yang had been, he hadn't really planned on the aftermath. Ruby, for whatever reason, had disappeared before they could ask her for help. And so, now he was stuck sneaking back into his own camp, covered in blood, sweat, and…well, he needed a change of clothes and a shower, that was the point. Fortunately, most of camp had hunkered down for the night. Unfortunately, he still had to slip into his own tent to grab a change of clothes.

He had to slip into _their_ tent he mentally corrected.

He kept close to the tents, sticking to the shadows as he entered the Beowolves' camp, desperate to avoid an awkward conversation as he slowly made his way towards his own tent. He slinked past the dying fire pit, with Sam and Rob speaking quietly as they huddling around the light, breathing a sigh of relief as he reached his bunk. He steeled himself as he kicked his boots off before reaching for the flap of the tent, gently pulling it back and ducking inside as quietly as possible. He hesitated for a moment as he let the flap fall behind him and shroud the room in complete darkness again. He took a deep breath and gingerly took a step towards the dresser, reaching out a hand to-

"You know, for a Beowolf, you're sure loud enough for an Ursa." A voice called from the darkness.

He sighed. "Do you just sit alone in the dark when I'm not here? Is that a Schnee or an Atlas thing?"

"I was worried that your beau might have finally wised up and killed you." He blinked as she flicked on the lights, his eyes slowly adjusting to reveal a scowling Winter. "But from the smell of you, I have other quest-" she cut off as she caught sight of him. "Gods, Jaune, I was kidding!" She cried as she popped out of bed and rushed over to him, grabbing him by the chin and tilting his head down. "That eye is going to be black for sure. Do you have no healthier method of working out your issues?"

He coughed. "Well, to be fair, the second verse was a lot better than the first. I mean, I've never-"

She tsked as she pushed his face away. "Spare me the details. Just tell me where I need to avoid."

"Hey, we cleaned up!"

She rolled her eyes. "If you did as poor a job as you did on yourself, it's still a hazmat area. Where, Jaune?"

He winced. "The gym."

He grunted as she punched him in the shoulder. "Jaune! That's my sanctuary! Why couldn't you have gotten your rocks off literally anywhere else!?"

"I didn't plan on it!"

She sighed. "You were going to make up with her, what did you think was going to happen?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Speaking from experience?"

She jabbed a finger under his nose. "Don't test me, Jaune Arc. You grab a set of clothes and hit the showers…then burn your old clothes."

"Yes, ma'am." He sighed, making a beeline for the dresser.

"Make sure not to half-ass it either, we've got a big day tomorrow."

"Oh?" He hummed, shuffling through his drawer.

"Yes, in case you've forgotten, I was supposed to be escorting the General here."

He froze. "He gets here tomorrow?"

She nodded. "Indeed, he does, and he'll be interested in talking to your little red-headed friend."

"What does he want with Ruby?" He asked carefully.

"Don't play with me, Jaune. I may not understand exactly what that girl did back in Anthem, but I know that it was impressive. You know why he's coming here."

He scoffed. "I thought he was coming to help with the dislocated citizens?"

She sighed and sat down on her bunk. "He's here for that too, but you can understand how useful that kind of power might be."

"Ruby isn't a tool." He snapped.

"No, she's a person," she confirmed. "A person that can stop the Grimm in their tracks, which is something worth looking into, something that can save lives. He just wants to talk."

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Jaune, I trust him." She said firmly.

"I don't."

"He's the most powerful man in Atlas."

"And I wonder how that happened." He shot back sarcastically.

"Jaune, he saved me. Saved me from my own father." She grabbed her own arm. "Look, I know that you're not a fan, but please...can we not?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "I know, I just…it's hard for me at this point."

"I know, and I can understand that." She shook her head. "I didn't bring it up to start a fight. I just wanted to let you know."

"Yeah." He answered quietly, gathering up his toiletry bag. "Sorry if I got a little heated."

"Don't worry about it." She chewed on her lower lip for a moment before speaking again. "Jaune, do you like this?"

He shot her a confused look. "Do I like what?"

"This. Being a Specialist, working with the team, working with me."

He turned to meet her careful gaze. "Yeah, of course I do. You guys have been great. The team is like a second family." He chuckled. "Well, after Ren and Nora and RWBY."

She hummed. "Good, that's good. Do you know what you're going to be doing after this? After this deployment is over." She clarified.

He shrugged. "I guess I'll figure out what the next step is with Ruby and crew. We'll take it as it comes."

"That's it? You don't have any hard plans?"

"Nope. We're playing it by ear." He answered distractedly. "It's kind of our thing."

She rolled her eyes. "So, I've noticed."

"Why do you ask anyway?"

"Don't worry about it." She looked away. "You know you're good at this, right? You, Ren, and Nora, you're a part of the team."

He grinned. "Are you going soft on me? We're not gone yet you know."

She groaned and threw her pillow at him. "Go shower, you idiot."

He chuckled as he moved towards the tent flap. "We like you guys too, despite your weird, ominous questions."

She sighed. "Just…think about what I said, ok?"

He threw her a mock salute as he slipped through the flap. "Yes, ma'am."

* * *

"You ok, Short stack?" Qrow questioned as he eyed his niece glumly stirring her eggs across the chow hall table. "You look a little down."

She sighed. "Uncle Qrow, can I ask you a question?"

"I've got a feeling you're gonna…"

"You ever do something, and you know it's the right thing, but you also feel a little bit weird about it? Not because you didn't want to do the right thing, but maybe because you also wanted the thing. Like, maybe wouldn't be so bad if you didn't have to see someone else get the thing, or at the very least hear them get the thing. But…sometimes you just feel like it would be nice if you could do the thing too." She shook her head. "Sorry, I'm probably not making any sense."

He winced as he looked over to a Yang cheerfully chatting with Blake a few spots down the table. "Short stack, trust me, I know exactly what you're talking about."

"Yeah?' She asked hopefully.

"Yeah." He commiserated. "You did a good thing."

She let out a sigh of relief. "It just feels weird."

"I know."

"I mean, you just think about how it could have been. You know, if things had been different. Maybe-"

He groaned. "Short stack, I get it."

"I just feel a little bit weird, like you hear something like that and-"

"Rubes!" He half-shouted. "Can we not? I'm trying to get through breakfast without fantasizing about murdering someone. It's a new life goal for me."

She winced. "Sorry."

He ran a hand down his face. "Don't worry about it. Anyway, you ready for today?"

"Yep." She replied quickly, carefully studying her breakfast.

"Ruby..."

"I don't know! I'm not used to talking to heads of state!" She shot back, exasperated.

"You're going to do fine." He comforted.

"How am I going to be fine!? You know what he wants to talk about!"

He sighed. "He wants to talk about-"

"He wants to talk about the eyes! The anti-Grimm superweapons! You know, the ones that I have no idea how to control!" She hissed.

"Look, Short stack, it's going to be ok. We can work through this together." He said, reaching across the table and patting her hand. "Talk to me about it, what does it feel like when you…"

She raised an eyebrow. "Zap things?"

"Yeah, that."

She sighed and slumped down in her seat. "I don't know, it's not something that I can just make happen." She frowned. "I just get in these situations where we're surrounded by Grimm, and I just start thinking about what's going to happen if-" She swallowed. "You know."

"Yeah, Short stack, I do." He said, squeezing her hand. "What happens next?"

She chewed on her bottom lip. "I feel like something is rising up in me, like it's growing and powerful…it feels weird, but also…good? I don't know, I just feel like I've got to let it out, and it's a huge relief when I do." She sighed. "Does that make any sense?"

The older Hunter threw his fork down on the plate. "I was 100% sure that I wasn't going to have to have this conversation when you came out a girl."

"What?"

"Don't worry about it."

"How can I not worry about it?! He's going to be here tonight!" She shot back.

"No, I wasn't talking about-" he ran a hand down his face. "Look, I'm not going to pretend like I know exactly what you're going through, but here's what I do know, this is just like anything else. We're going to practice, just like we used to back at Signal, and we're going to figure it out. Me and you."

She let a slow breath and smiled up at him. "But you were a terrible teacher."

He scoffed. "I'm a great teacher."

She snorted. "You were suspended nine times."

"Hey, most of those were with pay."

"That doesn't matter!"

"It totally matters! It means that they couldn't decide if it was really my fault or not!"

"But it was always your fault!"

"Yeah, but they couldn't prove it." He stated proudly.

She shook her head. "You're ridiculous."

"I'm a ridiculously good teacher, you mean."

She leaned back in her chair and grinned. "It's a miracle Yang and I turned out normal."

He tsked and downed the rest of his water. "You think you're normal?"

She flicked the rest of her eggs at him. "Meanie."

"I'm your uncle, I'm supposed to give you shit, it's part of my job."

"You're good at it."

"Being an ass? I've had a lot of practice."

She smiled and kicked at him underneath the table. "Being an uncle."

* * *

Oscar groaned as he fell back onto the soft grass of their makeshift training field.

"Why can't we use the gym again?"

Jaune looked away with a cough. "It's really not important."

"Yeah, I mean, it's just kinda cold out here, you know?" The farm boy complained. "I know it gets a little crowded in there, but I think-"

"Oscar, do you want to spar or not?"

"Also, why is your eye black?" He continued, undeterred. "Did you already get beat up today? Who were you sparring?"

"I'm hearing a whole lot stuff not related to fighting. Listen, if you don't want to..."

"Ok, ok!" The dark-haired boy grumbled as he pushed himself up to his feet. "You give a guy a couple of months under a couple of the best Hunters of their generations, and suddenly he's all, 'Oscar, I don't have time for your bitching.'"

The blond chuckled. "It's not like that!"

"Suurrree." Oscar drawled as he took up a fighting stance. "Now, you gonna show me what you've learned, or you have somewhere to be, big britches?"

"Big britches?"

"I grew up in a small town."

"Real small." Jaune teased.

"Are we fighting or not?" Oscar growled.

The taller man smirked. "Bring it on, Oscar."

The boy lunged forward, swinging his cane upwards in a wide arc that Jaune parried as he stepped in, popping the younger man with a quick jab that sent him reeling backwards. Oscar shook his head and swung again, narrowly missing the knight's head as he pulled back, before stepping in again and batting at him with a quick swipe of Crocea Mors. He blocked the blow in a hurry before grunting as Jaune's boot found a new home in his chest, sending him back to the ground in a heap.

"Ow." He groaned.

"What did you learn?" The knight questioned.

"Is it that you're an asshole?"

The blond barked a laugh at that, shaking his head.

"What's so funny?" Oscar asked, pushing himself up onto his elbows.

"Just nostalgia." Jaune answered with a smirk. "What else did you learn?"

"You're too fast for me." He complained.

"Now that." Jaune said, kicking at his friend's boot. "Is entirely untrue. I am painfully slow."

"Could've fooled me."

The blond laughed again as he flopped down on the ground next to him. "That's kinda the point. I fooled you. I made you think that the shot was coming from one direction, then I switched it up on you. You're focused on my sword."

"I feel like that's a pretty good thing to focus on." The farm boy shot back.

"It is, but it's not the only thing. I've got a ton of stuff that I can hurt you with." Jaune laid back on the grass with a huff. "Fist, feet, shield, my head…"

Oscar chuckled. "I noticed, thanks. Any other notes, coach?"

"Don't antagonize the coach." The knight shot back, nudging him with an elbow. "Trust me, I know from experience."

"What about something useful?" The dark-haired boy teased.

Jaune hummed. "Well, don't take this the wrong way…"

"I'm already excited to hear whatever this is."

"But I think you're still nervous about getting hit." The blond finished.

Oscar rolled his eyes. "Jaune, I've faced down Grimm with you, I don't think that nervous is a great description."

"And you've done great at all of that, but how many times have you been face to face with a Grimm? How many times have you been in a real fight with another Huntsman? How many times have you done it without Ozpin?"

"He wasn't there at Banner!"

"I know, and you did great there-" Jaune affirmed, "-but that was with a whole team there to support you. What I'm saying is that you're going to end up in a situation where it's just you, and you're going to get hit. You're going to get hit a lot."

The boy's lips tweaked up in a small smile. "I guess you'd know, huh?"

Jaune snorted. "Yeah, Qrow helped drive that lesson home."

"I was talking about Yang."

The blond sat up with a start. "How do you know about that!?"

A smile grew into a smirk. "What about your girlfriend has ever suggested that she's the quiet type? She's been bragging about 'showing her man what's up' since she got back to the Ursa camp."

The knight man a hand down his face. "Goddammit, Yang."

Oscar chuckled. "Don't worry about it. Everyone is pretty relieved you two kissed, or whatever you did, and made up."

"Even Qrow?"

"He hasn't even really made that much of a fuss. I think you've finally pushed him to the 'acceptance' stage of grieving. It's pretty fun to watch."

Jaune sighed. "Well, glad you're getting a kick out of it."

The boy shrugged. "It's nice to have something to take your mind off things."

The blond cocked an eyebrow. "Ozpin?"

"Him, but also the fact that I've got a feeling that General Ironwood is going to want to talk to his old friend when he gets here."

The blond winced. "Any luck contacting him?"

The farm boy made a face. "Kinda? I mean, I can feel him there, but I can't talk to him. It's like that feeling you get when you think someone is standing too close behind you, but then you turn around and no one is there."

"That sounds annoying."

"You're telling me."

"So, what are you planning on doing when he gets here?"

Oscar groaned and rolled onto his side. "I don't know!"

"You open to suggestions?"

"Shoot. And by shoot, I mean please shoot me."

Jaune laughed. "Let Qrow do most of the talking. As for you, just tell him the truth. Or, most of the truth. Tell him that Ozpin tired himself out fighting at Banner. What's he going to do, demand that you summon the guy?"

"You know, you're not as helpful as you think you are."

"Oscar, I can't even imagine what it's like, but we don't really have a lot of options. From what I've hear, his heart is in the right place."

"You trust him?"

Jaune hummed. "Winter trust him."

"And you trust Winter?"

"Yeah, I guess I do." He shook his head. "Listen, you don't owe the guy anything. If you're not comfortable with what's going on, let Qrow know, he'll take care of you."

Oscar nodded. "He's a good guy."

"One of the best I know."

"I just feel like I'm in over my head, you know?"

Jaune snorted. "Tell me about it."

The boy sat up. "How do you deal with it?"

The knight considered him for a moment. "Honestly?"

"No, I was hoping that you'd lie to me." Oscar deadpanned.

"I can do that too."

"Jaune!" He pleaded.

"Fine, fine." He ran a hand through his hair. "I…I've really just leaned on everyone else. I know that might not be what you want to hear, but I'd have fallen out a long time ago without them. You've got to have people that you can trust, and trust sucks. It makes you feel like it can all fall apart at a moments notice, but it's the only thing I've got. Yang, Ruby, Qrow, Winter, Ren, Nora…you've got to have people, man."

Oscar sighed. "Well, I've got you I guess."

Jaune huffed and pushed him over. "Gods, you have terrible judgement."

"Hi pot, I'm kettle."

"I'll tell Yang you said that."

"Asshole."

"Brat."

The farm boy smiled and shook his head. "You think I can do this?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Why?"

The blond shrugged. "I believe in Oscar Pine."

* * *

The arrival of General Ironwood was somehow both understated, and yet incredibly profound. They stood in a line, Beowolves and Ursa alike, watching the General's airship, a simple, grey aircraft, slowly lower itself to the ground. Jaune shifted uncomfortably in place, trying to catch a glance of Ruby or Oscar.

"Damn." Chief Zane whispered beside him as the craft began to settle, and security forces ran to form a circle around it.

"What's up?" He whispered back.

"Just wishing that Stevens could be here."

"Me too, but I think Sam's got this." Jaune replied, shooting a glance over to the red-head. "She's a solid team lead."

Winter tsked from his other side. "He means because Stevens hero worships the General."

"Don't you too?"

Zane barked a laugh and Winter rolled her eyes. "Not like he does. If you listen to Stevens, the General walks on water, slays elder Grimm, and craps lightning."

Jaune smirked. "He doesn't?"

"He does two out of the three."

The knight just shook his head as they watched the door of the craft lower the ground with a soft hydraulic hiss. "You guys are a cult."

Zane hummed. "Did you not get the pamphlet when you signed up? We have virgin sacrifices every Tuesday. Speaking of which, what are you doing on Tuesday?"

"Har Har, you ass. I think I'm safe."

"That's Chief Ass," Winter corrected. "But more importantly, do you think you gentlemen can shut up for three seconds and at least pretend to be professional?"

"What are you offering if we can pull that off?" The blond asked.

"Not to gut you." She promised as the graying-haired General descended the ramp and stepped out into the brisk Atlas air.

The dog faunus snickered as he leaned over towards the younger man. "She gets touchy about the General. Daddy issues if you ask me."

"Zane, I will-"

"Looking our way, boss." Zane cut her off with a smirk, as Ironwood scanned the crowd assembled before nodded towards them, then started off towards where Colonel Markus stood with Qrow, against custom, by his side.

They could hear the grass crunch underneath the boots of the man of the hour as he came to a stop in front of the two men.

"General, welcome to the frontier." Markus greeted with a sharp salute.

"Markus." Ironwood responded with an easy salute, before nodding to Qrow. "Qrow."

"Sup, Jimmy." The dark Hunter shot back, grunting as Markus jabbed an elbow into his ribs. "Sorry, _General_ Jimmy." He drawled.

James chuckled and shook his head. "Time doesn't change you, does it?"

The Hunter shrugged. "Dunno, more shit hurts now. Speaking of time, you're late."

The General winced. "Yes, council matters have been taking up far more of my time I anticipated. Things have been…difficult with our good friend Ozpin around."

Qrow tsked. "You're telling me."

Ironwood's glace shot over to where Oscar was standing with the Ursa. "I could surely use his council now."

"Yeah, well, we don't always get what we want, do we?"

The General frowned as he shifted back to Qrow. "Why don't we talk about this more in private? I'd love to hear about-"

Colonel Markus coughed, cutting him off. "Sir, if you don't mind. My troops are freezing their metaphorical balls off-"

"Their jimmies, you could say." Qrow offered.

"-You think we can dismiss them before you two continue flirting?"

Ironwood smiled and clapped Markus on the shoulder. "Sorry about that, old friend. Send them on." His gaze shifted towards the far edge of camp. "Then take me to the refugee camp."

"You want your debrief first? They're not going anywhere, I can promise you that." The darker skinned man asked.

The General shook his head. "Those are our citizens, I need see how they're doing. Besides, we can walk and talk." He glanced back at Qrow. "Does that work for you?"

The Hunter nodded. "Yeah, go do what you gotta do, Jimmy. They've had a rough ride."

The graying man hummed. "So I've heard." He answered, looking over the thinned ranks of the Ursa. "What about you?"

Qrow winced. "We're pretty banged up." He looked up to the taller man. "I'm sorry, Jim. It was my lead when we-"

James reached out a placed a hand on his shoulder. "It would have been worse if you weren't there. Thank you."

The shorter man shorted. "Thanks, but it was the Beowolves that pulled our bacon out of the fire. Markus raised them right."

The Colonel nodded at the compliment. "It's what they pay me for, but I hear your boy was the one that carried the day."

Qrow chuckled. "Gods, don't say that loud enough for him to hear, I'll near hear the end of that shit."

The General laughed. "All the same, I wouldn't mind meeting him as well."

"Maybe later, Jim." Qrow hedged.

"Later." Ironwood agreed, looking back to Colonel Markus. "They're yours, Tom. Send them back to whatever productive thing they were doing before they got dragged out here for this dog and pony show."

"Productive might be stretching it." Markus mumbled, turning to the gathered soldiers. "Team leads, you're dismissed!"

Jaune snapped to attention as the Winter did the same beside him, stepping back and falling out of formation with the rest of the Beowolves. He shot a quick look towards Ruby, falling in behind Qrow as they headed back towards the Ursa side of camp.

"Jaune." Winter called to him.

"Hm? What's up?" He answered, distractedly.

The white-haired woman rolled her eyes as she followed his gaze. "Are you trying to get murdered by Qrow?"

"It's not like that!" He sputtered.

"I'm sure." She drawled.

"Goddammit, Winter. I-"

"Go." She sighed.

"But don't we-"

"We don't have anything pressing at the moment. Go do…whatever it is you intend on doing with your friends."

"You're the worst." He groaned.

"Well, since you feel that way, I've got some reports you can help me fill out." She shot back.

"You're the best, Winter. Love you, Winter." He rushed out before taking off after the Ursa.

The Specialist shook her head as she watched the boy's retreating form.

"Gods, you're getting soft." Zane teased beside her.

"Shut up, you mutt."

He huffed. "You _are_ the worst."

"I learned from the best." She answered, with a teasing glare.

He chuckled. "Well, we definitely need to fucking fire that guy."

* * *

Jaune flinched as a rogue piece of bread struck him to the cheek, rousing him from his thoughts. He shifted his gaze over to the source of the grain assault, and saw Yang lining up another crumb to flick at him from across the mess hall table.

"What are you doing?" He asked, shifting his head out of the way of the follow-up crumb.

She hummed. "Entertaining myself."

He snorted. "And this is what you came up with?"

"Weeelll, my boyfriend was supposed to be doing it, but his head is in the clouds, so here we are."

He sighed. "Sorry, babe. I'm just worried about Ruby."

"Gee, what must that be like?" She deadpanned, scoring another hit on his cheek.

He winced. "I didn't mean-"

"I know Ladykiller, I'm just grumpy." She said, brushing aside the remaining crumbs in front of her and laid her head down on the table. "I want to be there for her."

"I know, Bright-eyes. Me too." He commiserated, before smirking. "But you know, out of all of us, she's probably the most put together. Can you imagine if it were me or you with that kind of power?"

She grinned. "Are you kidding? That'd be great! All you plebeians would have to bow down before Yang Xiao Long, goddess of Grimm slaying."

He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? And how do you think your meeting with a head of state would go?"

She tossed her head back proudly. "Why, I'd accept his fealty with grace." She proclaimed while staring him down, daring him to challenge her. He met her gaze, blue eyes unmoving from lilac.

She, like usual, broke first. She snorted, which built into a giggle, and a giggle built into a laugh. Before he knew it, he was doing the same, drawing more than a few eyes around the dining hall as they giggled like maniacs at the table.

"You're ridiculous." He said as they started to come down from their laughing fit, wiping a tear from his eye.

"You're dating me." She informed him.

"So I am."

"Enjoying the experience?"

He grinned. "Always."

"Then what are you doing way over there?" She asked, patting the spot on the bench next to her.

"You know what? That's a really good question." He said, finding his feet and circling the table and settling in next to her, his arm snaking around her waist and pulling her against him. "That better?"

"It's a start." She allowed, smiling as she laid her head down on his shoulder.

"You know this is a public place, right?" A familiar voice asked.

Jaune sighed and looked over to where his friend was standing a few paces away. "Winter, why?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, am I interrupting something? It's just that I like to eat here sometimes, and you two have a tendency to defile places." She shuddered. "I'm still nervous about going to the gym, and I've had them clean it from top to bottom. Twice."

Yang snorted, earning a small smile from the older woman. "Sorry about that."

"I'm sure." The Specialist deadpanned.

"Is it too early to say that the gym isn't the only thing that got cleaned from top to bot-" Jaune clapped a hand over her mouth in a rush, a blush finding his cheeks.

"Annnyyywayyyy." He sputtered. "Is there anything we can help you with-Ah!" He yelped as he pulled his hand away from Yang's mouth, now wet from where she'd licked it.

"Yeah, what's up, chesty-Weiss?" The blonde girl asked innocently.

The white-haired woman cocked her head to the side. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"It was meant as one."

Winter shook her head. "You two are ridiculous."

"And the future of Remnant." Jaune added.

"Please don't remind me." She sighed and motioned to Yang. "I was hoping to borrow your beau for a moment if you can spare him."

The blonde shrugged. "Just don't break him." She said, stroking his head. "He's very fragile."

"Am I now?" He protested.

Yang just shook her head sadly and looked over to Winter. "See?"

"Truly a delicate ego." The Specialist agreed.

The knight sighed. "I think I liked it better when you two didn't get along so well."

"Yes, well like most things in your life, it seems that you don't know what's good for you. Now, on your feet, I don't have all night." Winter demanded.

"I do." Yang offered cheerily as he stood.

"I know, Bright-eyes." He laughed.

Winter rolled her eyes and muttered something disparaging about 'teens' and 'hormones,' before grabbing him by the collar and pulling him toward the entrance of the dining facility.

He shouted back towards his girlfriend. "If you don't hear from me in an hour-"

"I'll wait longer." She agreed, waving as they disappeared through the tent flap.

"She's too good for you." Winter observed as they stepped out into the cool air of the Atlas evening.

He shook his head and smiled. "I know. Where we going anyway?"

She motioned for him to follow and started winding their way through the sea of tents. "You remember our talk this morning?"

"I remember you scolding me about doing alternative exercises in the gym."

"First, you're the worst. Second, I meant about what you wanted to with your future."

He scowled. "Yeah, but I thought we were just talking. What's this all about?"

She scoffed as they ducked into the area of camp that held the supply tents. "What do you think it's about, Jaune?"

"Spell it out for me."

She sighed as she stopped in front of an unmarked tent. "Jaune, you can't be this dense." She waited for a moment as he stared at her, then ran a hand down her face. "I want you to stay, you imbecile."

He chuckled nervously. "I mean, I'm not going anywhere."

"I want you to be a Specialist, Jaune. A real one."

He balked. "What!?"

"Maidens!" She exclaimed, before pointing at herself. " _I,"_ she pointed back at him, "want _you_ to be my partner."

He shook his head. "Winter, I can't."

"Why not? What else are you going to do?" She argued. "You're good at this, Jaune. You're doing real good out here."

He looked away. "Doesn't feel like it."

"Don't start that shit with me, Arc." She snapped. "We've already been down that road. Atlas needs people with talent, and you're one of them."

His eyes narrowed. "Wait, is this about Ruby?"

She stared him down. "What are you accusing me of?"

"I-" he swallowed. "Sorry, that was low."

"I don't care about the Rose girl. This isn't about her. It's about you, and I know that's new for you, but it's the truth."

He shook his head again. "Ren and Nora-"

"-Are more than welcome to join you. Hell, I'd be shocked if they did anything else."

"Winter, you know I can't leave them. Leave RWBY."

"No one is asking you to. Look, you'll be in Atlas, not dead. Jaune, there's a real career for you here, a future."

"But Yang." He protested.

"Bring her too."

"She won't leave Ruby."

"Then you won't be the first person to have long-distance relationship."

He sighed. "It's not that simple."

"Then make it simple." She demanded.

"Why are you so stuck on this?"

"Because I believe in you, you fool. This is where you belong, where you can grow. I'm trying to offer you an opportunity, Jaune. Don't turn it down without thinking about it."

"Winter, I'm flattered, but you don't understand-"

"What I understand is that you should stop talking for a minute and listen. You don't have to say yes, you don't have to answer right now, but I'm asking you to listen to what we have to say."

"We?" He asked, flicking a glance towards the entrance of the tent.

She sighed. "Yes, we. I'm just asking you to trust me for a minute here. Will you listen? Please? For me?"

He looked at her for a moment, shifting nervously before nodding. "You promise that you'll let this go if I go in there?"

"Schnee's word."

"Not helping." He joked.

She smirked. "Arc's word then."

"See how much better that sounds?"

She rolled her eyes and kicked at his feet. "Just go."

He laughed as he pulled the tent flap back. "Yeah, yeah."

"Jaune." She said, stopping him halfway through the door.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

He raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"Trusting me."

He winced as a tiny dagger worked its way at his heart. "Yeah, of course." He agreed as he stepped inside and she disappeared from view. He looked around the dimly lit room and shook his head, speaking to the room. "This seems awful 'cloak and dagger' for a recruitment pitch. Listen, no offense, but can we just get this over with?"

"Sorry about that." He froze as he recognized the voice, even before a metal hand reached out and flicked on the lights. "It's hard to get privacy once you reach a certain rank." General Ironwood explained with a soft smile. "Now, it's been awhile since I've done this, but I'd like to talk to you about your future."

* * *

 **Jiu, why can't you be consistent? Jiu, why are you such a lazy bastard? These are are excellent questions, but I've got one for you - have you read Cr00cy's 'The Profession Arc?' No? Well, you should. It just wrapped up and it contains awesome Witcher violence.**

 **Fight Nerd: Not a ton to say here besides the fact that you've got to get hit to get comfortable with people throwing at you. Once it becomes 'normal' and you can accept that it's going to happen, you can slow down the fight. Your breathing becomes more even, you start watching the strikes instead of shying away from them, it's stops being scary. That being said, getting hit sucks, so buckle up and bite down on that mouthpiece.**

 **Side Note: One of the most rewarding things that you can do as a leader is to train your replacement. When you two are clicking and they're gelling with the team, life is good. It has to be a combination of them caring, being willing to listen, and thinking for themself. If you can find someone with all those qualities, it's hard to see them go, but it's also part of the process.**


	20. Trust

**Cr00cy, we're faster than last time!**

 **Cr00cy: Indeed, we are.**

 **Chapter 19**

 **Trust**

* * *

 **W.S. Quote Book Says:** _When you think to take determination of your fate into your own hands, that is the moment you can be crushed. Be cautious. -_ **Frank Herbert** _  
_

 **W.S. Playlist Says:** _The preachers sound silly in service_

 _Convincin' my mama that all of the drama must certainly serve higher purpose_

 _How fightin' could turn into curses_

 _When I tell her any god that make it plenty hard really ain't worth it to worship -_ **Rubble Kings, Run The Jewels**

* * *

Jaune felt his heart skip a beat, several beats, as he stared dumbly at the newly illuminated form of the man in front of him sitting on a supply crate. The General, he remembered suddenly, body awkwardly snapping to something resembling the position of attention and stumbling over himself in the attempt.

"Sir! I-" He stammered out.

Ironwood raised a hand to silence him.

"Calm down, son. It's just me and you here, no need to stand on ceremony. Truth be told, I'd be relieved if you didn't, it's exhausting." He motioned to a crate behind Jaune. "Please, take a seat. I'd offer you a drink, but-" he gestured at the tent around them with a small smile, "you know."

Jaune tried his best to smile at the joke as he slowly lowered himself down onto the makeshift seat, eyes never leaving the man in front of him.

The General nodded once he settled. "How are you doing, Jaune?"

The knight flinched at that. He wasn't used to being on a first name basis with heads of state.

"Good, sir." He answered slowly.

"Call me James, please."

"Ummm…"

The older man sighed. "'I suppose that was too much to hope for. 'General' or 'Ironwood' are acceptable as well. Really, anything that's not 'sir.'" He gave the blond a wane smile. "I don't suppose Qrow has rubbed off on you enough for some of his more…creative, nicknames?"

Jaune snorted at that. "No, I don't think so."

The greying man chuckled as he leaned back. "That's almost too bad. I assume you know why you're here?"

He shifted nervously. "Winter said you wanted to try to talk me into signing on as a Specialist." He coughed. "Well, not you specifically, but…"

Ironwood nodded again. "I've heard good things."

"Winter exaggerates."

The older man smiled. "About many things. About how frustrating Qrow can be, about the length of time paperwork takes to file, about how troublesome the chain of command can be..." he shook his head. "But about someone's performance in the field? Now, I've never known her to do that."

"What'd she say?"

"That you're motivated, brave, smarter than you give yourself credit for. About your encounter with Adam and performance at Banner." He cocked his head to the side and frowned. "How are you doing, son, really?"

He swallowed. "I'm good."

Ironwood hummed. "Sure, you are. You've seen a lot recently, more than most. It can be a lot to handle."

"I've had my friends with me, my team. We were fine." Jaune shot back.

The General pointed at him with a smirk. "There it is. That's the spirit that we look for. The 'nothing can touch me with my team' attitude." He leaned back on his makeshift seat. "Your team feels the same way about you, son. That's rare in such a short time. They claim you."

Jaune looked away. "I like them too, but I've already got a team."

"You do." He acknowledged. "And I've heard a lot about them too. I'd be happy to have them join us. Honestly, I think that Winter assumes that they'll follow your lead. Something of a package deal."

Jaune's gaze snapped back to the man. "I think we're good."

The older man sighed. "Tell me, what does 'good' look like? Do you have transportation? What about funding? Intelligence? Supplies?" He stared at the blond for a moment before shaking his head. "I didn't think so, but you can. All your friends can."

Jaune tsked. "'All of my friends, huh?' Yeah, that's what I thought."

"I'm sorry?"

The blond shook his head. "You want Ruby, she said no. That's why you're talking to me."

Ironwood barked a laugh. "A bit self-important, aren't we?"

"Am I wrong?" The knight challenged.

"No, but you're not entirely right either." He ran a hand down his face. "Let's try something different. Tell me, do you know how I met Winter?"

"You took her from her father."

"I saved her from her father." The General corrected.

Jaune scowled. "Maybe, but don't pretend that you didn't-"

"Do it for my own benefit? Again, you're not wrong, but you're not right either. I did see an opportunity when I saw the kind of father that Jacques was, but do you why I was looking for one?" He took the knight's silence as answer. "It was because he was on the verge of swaying the council to elect him chairman. The same Jacques that had sat on the old council, the one we'd fought so hard to overthrow, was about to turn back the clock on Atlas. We would have been in the same place we were before the revolution in a couple of years." The greying man sighed. "I needed time. I needed to finish establishing our Huntsmen academy, to establish new symbols of power."

"You needed to prove you were stronger." Jaune provided.

Ironwood nodded. "I did. And wouldn't you know it, I stumbled on Winter." He grimaced. "Do you know what she did when I found her practicing in that training hall?"

He had a feeling he didn't want to know.

"What?"

"She apologized. She apologized to me for having the audacity to pursue her dream of becoming a Huntress." He shook his head in disgust. "I decided then and there that girl wasn't staying there. The aftermath of what it did to Jacques was secondary."

"But not unwelcome."

"But not unwelcome." Ironwood agreed, before staring him down. "I love that girl, Arc, don't ever question that."

"But you still used her."

"I did, but she knows that."

"Does that make it better?" Jaune asked.

"Doesn't it?" The older man questioned. "Can you say the same for yourself and your team?"

Jaune bristled. "What does that mean?"

"What do you know about Ozpin?"

"That he's MIA." The knight shot back, biting back a curse at volunteering the information.

"Is he now? Last I spoke to him, he was wearing the face of a fourteen-year-old boy. Who knows if his words are his own?"

"Oscar is Oscar!" The blond growled.

"Perhaps for now, but can you be sure for how much longer? When does that boy stop being 'Oscar,' and become something else?"

"I'm not going to let that happen." Jaune spat.

"No, I didn't imagine you would be willing too. But then, how are you going to stop it?"

Jaune's eyes widened with hope. "Do you know how!?"

The officer winced apologetically. "No, I don't."

The blond scoffed. "Of course not."

"Do you know why?"

"Why you're another disappointment? No, I've started to get used to it from authority figures."

Ironwood ignored the barb. "Do you know why I can't help with Oscar? It's because I know next to nothing about the process." He shrugged. "To be honest, I know very little of Ozpin in general."

"Thought you guys were supposed to be friends." Jaune shot back.

"Friends doesn't imply equals, young man. Do you know why that is?"

The knight ran a hand through his hair. "Look, if you've got a point to make, make it. I'm a little bit tired of this cryptic-"

"It's because he's immortal, and I imagine that mortals just start to seem…small after a few dozen lifetimes."

"So, what? You invite me here to welcome me to welcome me to the 'less than important' club?"

"Precisely."

Jaune barked a laugh and turned away.

The General sighed. "I'm deadly serious, young man. I want to work with you, _really_ work with you."

"You want to use me."

"Yes," the older man admitted, "but I'm telling you that, and that's the difference." He shook his head at the younger man's silence. "Do you know how I met Ozpin?"

"Qrow said he helped you with your revolution."

"With _Atlas'_ revolution." Ironwood corrected. "And to be more accurate, he held off the Grimm while we fought it out in the streets of the capital. Ozpin didn't help win Atlas, he waited to shake hands with the winner." He raised a hand to stop the knight's retort. "Not that I don't understand, mind you. He's playing a very, very long game. He can't afford to pick favorites. However, the memory of him only stepping foot in the capital at the end has always stuck with me."

"Didn't stop you from working with him. For him." Jaune accused.

The General nodded. "I was weak. Atlas was weak. We needed time to rebuild, to come to terms with what we now were." He hummed. "What's more, he began to slowly tell me stories, stories that you now know, about something that seemed…unbelievable, impossible. But, seeing is believing, and I've seen enough to understand that they're not just stories, that Ozpin was fighting something barely describable by any terms that I knew."

Jaune glared back at the man. "And that makes it all ok? That excuses it? Makes him a good man?"

"I think it makes him good, at least in our greater understanding of the concept, but certainly doesn't make him a man." He leaned forward. "And therein lies the real problem, doesn't it? Ozpin operates on a different timeline than you or I. Lives may be sacrificed, battles may be lost, civilizations may fall, but what does it matter when you have an eternity to fight?" The man found his feet. "But it matters to _me_. I wasn't going to sit around and wait for it to become convenient for an immortal to act to do what was right by my people. This is a war being fought by men, not gods, and we're the ones dying out there. Something you know better than most." He shook his head again. "Well, I'm not content to wait and watch how it plays out. You don't seem like the waiting type either."

"What-" the blond swallowed. "What are you asking me?"

"I'm asking you to take your fate into your own hands. To decide what this war looks like. I'm asking you if you want to be a player, instead of a piece."

"You don't want me to be a player, you want me to be _your_ piece."

"If that's how you wish to see it. But ask yourself this, would you rather be moved by human hands…or by something else entirely?"

"There's no coming back from this if I say yes." The knight shook his head. "How do I know I can even trust you?"

"I'm here talking to you, aren't I?" The older man observed. "You know the position that puts me in."

"What are you planning? Why me?"

"You understand the position that telling you that would put me in as well." Ironwood said. "I'm afraid I'm going to need an answer before we get into that." He held out his hand. "What do you say?"

Jaune stared at the outstretched hand for a moment. "I'm…I'm going to need some time."

The General nodded and slowly pulled his hand back. "I can understand that. Take what time you need. Winter will know where to find me."

"Yeah..." Jaune said, stepping towards the entrance of the tent and pulling the flap back.

"Jaune." Ironwood called after him, making him pause in the door. "Just remember, time is not the ally of men, but it is theirs."

The knight let the flap fall behind him silently as he stepped back into the darkness and let it claim him.

* * *

When he walked back through the door of his tent, he found the lights still burning bright, and Winter sitting on her bed. She threw away the book she'd been 'reading' and fidgeted as she stared at him expectantly. It was cute in its own way, the way she pretended not to be too interested. He couldn't help himself. He let the silence stretch until she finally coughed into her hand.

"So, how'd it go?"

"How'd what go?"

She huffed. "Don't you play cute with me, Jaune Ar-" she sighed and took a deep breath, "you know very well what I mean."

He laughed as he crossed the room and flopped down on the bed beside her, letting out a low grunt. "Well, he offered me a job."

"Jaune."

"Yeah?"

"I want you to know that I'm very, very proud of you."

"Aww, thanks. That means-"

"But if you don't tell me what the hell you talked about with the General, I'm going to smother you to death on this bed."

"You know, there's a lot of way to take that…"

"Jaune!"

He sighed and buried his head in his hands.

"Sorry."

She placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "It's ok. If you said no, I understand. It's your choice."

"It's not that."

"Then what is it? You can talk to me. I'm here for you." She comforted.

He looked up at her slowly, considering her for a moment. "Yeah…you really are, aren't you?"

"I'm not sure how to take that."

He chuckled as he ran a hand down his face. "Winter…if you had a choice, a choice between knowing the truth, even if the truth is terrible, or living the life you know, what would you choose?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Jaune, what are you on about?"

He sighed. "I'm not even sure anymore. I just…I just…I don't even know."

She shook him gently and squeezed his shoulder again. "Jaune, it's ok. You can tell me. I can handle it. Trust me."

"You know I do."

"Then talk to me." She urged again.

He nodded slowly. "What's your favorite fairy tale?"

"Jaune."

"Yeah?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

He laughed and groaned. "I'm sorry. I know I'm not making any sense."

She rolled her eyes. "Stop apologizing and just spill it."

"I don't even know where to start." He complained.

She hummed. "Well, the beginning seems as good a place as any."

"Yeah, you're right." He took a deep breath and sat up a little straighter. "What do you know about the four Maidens?"

* * *

"Any luck, kid?" Qrow asked, leaning against the wall of the command post, looking off into darkness.

Oscar sighed. "I got nothing. Same as five minutes ago."

"Have you tried calling out to him? I don't know, like thinking real hard about it?"

"Have you tried not asking me what I have and haven't tried constantly?" The farm boy shot back.

"Love you too, squirt."

Oscar groaned and ran his hands down his face. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be a jerk, I just-"

"Kid, I get it. It's a lot, take your time."

"We don't have time!" The boy protested.

"No, we don't, but we don't have Oz either, so I guess we're kinda stuck."

Oscar winced. "I'm sorry."

Qrow sighed. "You ain't got nothing to be sorry about, kid. You didn't choose this, and I sure don't know a hell of a lot more about it than you do." He shrugged. "It is what it is."

"How can you be so calm about this?" Oscar asked.

"About the immortal being that lives inside of you suddenly disappearing? The one that we're relying on to fight this war?" The older man asked.

Oscar grunted. "No, I meant about Ironwood being late. Of course, I mean about that!"

The Hunter smirked. "Hey, just thought I'd double check."

"Well?" The younger man asked, expectantly.

Qrow hummed. "I think I've just started getting used to expecting the worst."

"Your Semblance?"

Qrow grunted. "Yeah, that's a big part of it. You spend so long watching things blow up in your face and-" he shrugged, "you stop seeing the point of getting spun up. Listen, I could yell, slap you around, call you degrading nicknames-"

"Don't you already do a lot of those?"

"Prick." Qrow shot back with a small smile, kicking a rock towards the boy. "If I thought any of that might help, I might, but I don't think that's the case. I think, as hard as it is to accept, that we might be stuck in this situation. So, once we've reached acceptance, we can move on to bargaining."

Oscar raised an eyebrow. "I want you to know that that's definitely not how the stages of grief work."

"Meh, close enough for government work."

The boy chuckled. "I guess we are technically being employed by the state."

"Yeah, and as much as I hate to admit it, Jimmy doesn't pay half-bad."

Oscar scowled. "Wait, are you actually getting paid?"

Qrow shot him a strange look. "Kid, it's me, of course I'm getting paid. Hell, both the teams are getting paid."

"I'm not!" The farm boy shouted, jumping to his feet.

The older Hunter rolled his eyes. "Yeah, the Atlas military didn't want to have a child soldier on their payroll. Imagine that."

"But I was at Banner!" Oscar protested. "I fought just like everyone else."

"And a grateful nation thanks you for your service." A voice called from the darkness, drawing their eyes to the tall, wide frame of the General approaching. "Sorry, son, but Qrow is right on this one.

Qrow snorted. "How hard was that shit for you to say out loud?"

"It hurts me somewhere deep." The greying officer admitted with a smirk.

"How you doing, Jimmy?"

Ironwood sighed. "Well, I have tens of thousands of refugees that I need to feed, house, and relocate, I've lost far more men and equipment than we ever predicted trying to bring down a man that's still at large, and the council feels like it's a day away from finding a new head." He shook his head and chuckled. "Other than that, I'm doing pretty well. How about you, Qrow?"

The Hunter shrugged innocently. "The food could be better here."

"I'll submit your complaint to every cook in the history of warfare."

"That's what I like about you, Jimmy, you're a problem solver."

The General hummed. "You've moved up to liking me? Well, maybe this whole situation is salvageable after all."

Qrow coughed. "Sorry, let's try that again. That's what I tolerate about you, Jimmy, you're a-"

"Is this your relationship with all the people you're friends with?" Oscar cut in, shaking his head.

Qrow tsked. "Nah, sometimes it's better."

"I hear Lionheart tried to murder you, for instance." Ironwood offered with a smirk.

"See? Much better than being in this conversation right now."

Oscar snorted. "You're impossible."

"And yet you all keep me around." Qrow said, bumping the boy with his shoulder before shooting his gaze back to Ironwood. "You're running a little late by the way, Jimmy. Anything we need to be worried about?"

The General shook his head. "No, just talking personnel moves with Winter." He winced. "There's more than a few holes given recent events."

"Yeah." Qrow agreed glumly. "They were good people, Jim."

"I'd offer to share a drink in their honor when we get back, but one of you is grossly under age, and Markus tells me that you kicked the habit. I'm waiting for the sky to fall any minute on that count, by the way."

"Har har, Jimmy. Might want to stick to being a mediocre military officer rather than a comedian, suits you better." The Hunter shot back. "And for the record, I'm curtailing my intake, not quitting. I still drink on special occasions. Honoring folks, weddings, your impeachment. You know, the big stuff."

Ironwood barked a laugh. "Well then, depending on how this all goes, I may be able to fulfill two out of the three."

"Give Jaune time, we might have a hat trick on our hands." Oscar added, grinning as he ducked under a lazy swipe from Qrow.

"Little bastard." The older Hunter mumbled.

Ironwood shot the boy a smile. "I think I'm already starting to like you more than the last iteration of Ozpin. How is he by the way?"

Oscar stilled as his jaw began to work up and down wordlessly. "I…uh."

Qrow grunted as he shook the farm boy by the shoulders playfully, rescuing him. "How do you think he is, Jimmy? Oz was a worried wart at the best of times, he's definitely not getting any better now that his 'everyone is out to get me' theories are coming true. Now, what's say we stop freezing our asses off out here and go meet up with Markus, so we can talk through all our big bad battle plans somewhere warm?"

Oscar shot him a look of silent thanks. "Yeah…sounds good to me."

The General nodded and clapped his hands together. "Of course! My apologies, let's head inside. Markus should still be in his office at this hour. I've got a feeling something big is coming, so the more brain power we can throw at the situation, the better."

"Hear that, Oscar? We need brain power. You can stay outside." Qrow quipped as they moved towards the door of the command post.

The boy shook his head. "I want to revise my question. How do you have any friends?"

The older Hunter laughed as he pushed the door open. "I'm like whiskey, kid. I'm an acquired taste."

Ironwood hummed behind him. "Also, too much of him will make you want to kill yourself."

Oscar was pretty sure that Qrow had shot back a suggestion about where the General could go find sexual relief, but it was hard to hear over how hard he was laughing.

* * *

Winter slowly rocked back and forth in her place on the bed, eyes wide and blank. Jaune snapped his fingers in front of them worriedly.

"Winter?"

"That's impossible." She whispered quietly.

The blond shook his head slowly. "Look, I know it seems hard to believe, but look at the facts. Both Haven and Beacon have fallen in a period of months-"

"The White Fang-"

"-Isn't nearly that coordinated. You know that." He finished.

"Jaune, the Maidens are fairy tales." She argued.

"Like silver eyed warriors that can freeze the Grimm in their tracks? Like elder Grimm that live under mountains and wait to come out and punish bad children?"

"Those are different!"

"Why? Because you've seen them?

"Yes!"

"Well, you've seen an immortal too."

She scoffed. "Oscar is just a boy."

"Then why is he here?" He asked carefully.

She shook her head. "Qrow decided to bring him. He was alone, he needed-"

"To be brought to a warzone?" The knight asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Qrow would-"

"Would he?" He cut her off.

She bit her lip and looked away, whispering. "No."

Jaune sighed. "Winter, I know what this feels like…I know how hard it is to accept, but…" He reached out a hand. "Maybe it'd be easier if we used the link, if I showed you."

"No!" She snapped, knocking his hand away.

He blinked, hurt. "Winter, I'm not lying to you-"

"No, but you have been." She shot back. "This whole damn time. Everything, this deployment, the reason you're here..." She swallowed. "The deaths. It's all been a sham. None of this was real, and you knew. You knew that we, that I, were fighting an invisible war and you said nothing."

"We helped those people out there." He argued.

"We helped _your_ people, Jaune. We fought _your_ war without even knowing."

"It's not my war!" He shouted.

"Then whose is it? You certainly seem to be marching to the beat of their drum."

"Goddammit, Winter, Ironwood has known the whole-"

"Don't you think I know that! Don't you think I understand what this means?" She shouted, choking back a sob. "He's been lying to me for years. Letting me fight battles for a cause that I've never known. He's supposed to be my father, Jaune."

He leaned forward again and reached out. "Winter, I'm sorr-"

"And you!" She snapped, pushing him back. "You were supposed to be my friend, Jaune!" She pointed to herself. "I trusted you! I stuck my neck out for you! I tried to bring you into my world, to give you a future!"

"I-"

"Left me in the dark, mission after mission." She said, shaking her head. "When were you going to tell me, Jaune? When we'd caught Adam? When a Maiden showed up?" She stared him down as he looked to the floor. "No, I don't think so. The truth is, you weren't going to tell me, where you? You were going to move on after Ozpin had accomplished whatever goal he had set out for here."

He grimaced. "I didn't-"

"You didn't what? Know if you could trust me? Didn't know if I'd turn on you? Tell me, Jaune, when would I have proven myself to the mighty Arc if I hadn't accidently backed you into a corner with Ironwood?"

"It's not like that!" He shot back.

"Then what's it like, Jaune!?"

He groaned as he ran a hand down his face. "Look, you're right, I should have told you earlier. You deserved to know earlier…all of you deserved to know earlier."

"Then why didn't you tell me!?" She growled. "I told you everything. I-"

"Because you're a better person that I am, ok!?" He cut her off. "You're braver than I can ever hope to be. You're a good leader and a better friend. I'm-" he swallowed. "And I'm just the same scared kid I've always been. Ever since Qrow told me the truth, I've been reeling, running scared." He shook his head. "You want to know how selfish I am? My first thought was about how I could hurt them for keeping this from me." He laughed at that. "From me, the great Jaune Arc, like I could have made some kind of difference." He sighed. "My next thought was only slightly less selfish. It was how I could protect what was mine. My friends, my family, my love…everything since has been a desperate attempt to find a way to keep them safe. That meant keeping the circle small and tight, that meant keeping secrets." He looked back up at her. "Even when I didn't want to, because anything and everything seemed like they could take them away from me somehow."

"I'm not anyone and everyone, Jaune." She said softly.

"No." He agreed. "No, you're not. You're Winter Schnee. You're my partner, and when you brought me to that tent tonight, tried to give me a future, it hit me just how shitty a partner I've been for withholding the present from you." He chuckled darkly as he stood. "So, I know that I'm late to the party, but I realized the truth about trying to do this shit without you."

"That you can't?" She asked bitterly.

"No, that we- that I don't deserve to." He corrected gently. "This is your fight as much as it is mine. You deserve to know, and you deserve the choice." He leaned back and spread his arms. "So, now my fate is in your hands. You can go tell Ironwood that I filled you in, and I doubt that'll lead to anything good for me, but you'll probably be brought into the fold." He held his hand out again. "Or you can choose to do what I'm doing."

"And what's that?" She asked, staring at it.

"Step away from the board. Stop being a piece and a start being a player."

She eyed him carefully. "Let's say, just for a moment, that I wanted to entertain your madness. What's your plan? How are you going to take control of the situation?"

He rubbed the back of his head nervously and gestured toward her, causing her eyes to widen in shock.

"Jaune, do you have anything remotely resembling a strategy?"

"Keep everyone I can breathing has been the cornerstone so far."

"Gods!" She groaned. "You're impossible!"

He laughed and cocked his head. "So, what do you say? There's still some spots open on team Jaune."

She stared at him for a long moment before speaking again. "I say-"

A loud, long wail cut through the night air, ending the thought as their heads snapped upwards.

"What's that?" Jaune asked worriedly as Winter burst into motion, snatching her saber and hurriedly buckling it onto her waist.

"It's the signal for a ground attack. Get you gear and move!" She snapped.

"On one of the villages?"

"On the base."

* * *

 **Cliffhangers!? Motherfucking cliffhangers!? Why, Jiu?**

 **Because deep down, I'm just not a good person.**

 **Jesus, these take too long to put out. Apologizes everybody. Hope to see you soon.**


	21. The Fall

**Cr00cy, I think we're hitting the climax**

 **Cr00cy: Yeah, I think we are.**

 **Chapter 20**

 **The Fall**

* * *

 **W.S. Quote Book Says: "Only the dead have seen the end of war." - Plato** _  
_

 **W.S. Playlist Says: A wise man once said, "We all dead, fuck it" - Run the Jewels, Close Your Eyes and Count to F*ck**

* * *

"I'm telling you, he's gay." Corporal Cyan said again.

Sergeant Rose signed in exasperation. "He's not gay!"

"How do you know he's not?" He challenged.

"Because he's Spruce Fucking Willis!" She shouted.

"That doesn't mean anything!"

"Ok, how about this? He's been married three times!"

He tsked. "Beards."

Rose scoffed. "Where's _your_ proof?"

He leaned back in his chair and smirked. "My cousin says he knows a guy."

He chuckled as he heard the thud of Rose's head against her terminal and her long groan.

He'd been lowkey bothering Rose for the past hour, trying to keep himself occupied from the tedium of the control tower. Not that he didn't have other things to do either. He had been tracking the large cargo aircraft approaching the base distractedly for the past few minutes since it'd shown up on the radar. It was another in the long, long line of aircraft that had come through in the past week or so, helping to supply the mass of humanity that had been deposited at the base since the fall of Banner. It didn't match his schedule, but it was a registered craft and honestly, he'd stopped paying attention to the manifest after about the dozenth emergency supply craft had come in.

'Vigilance,' Gods, but Atlas had some pretentious names.

"Hey, Rose." He called to the young woman busily typing away at the screen behind his.

"Fuck off." She answered lazily.

"Not this time. Got another one coming in."

"Maidens, already? Third one today."

He laughed. "Gotta feed the people."

She sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I forgot that's what I signed up for, the country's biggest soup kitchen."

"Want me to call up your recruiter? I'm sure I can convince him to let you go. You know, since it's not everything you dreamed it'd be." He teased.

"I want you to do your Gods damned job." She shot back. "Hail them and set them down on A7."

"Yes, ma'am!" He replied with a grin and mock salute, earning an eye roll from his partner before he keyed the radio. "Vigilance, this is control, how do you read me? Over."

"Control, this is Vigilance, I read you loud and clear." A feminine voice responded.

"I have you the same. State your purpose. Over."

"Control, we're bringing in humanitarian aid, requesting permission to land."

"Roger that, Vigilance, continue you your approach and we'll put you down on Alpha 7. Control, out."

"Copy. Thank you, control."

He leaned back in his chair for a moment before keying the mic again out of boredom.

"Hey, Vigilance, who you guys with, anyway?"

There was a brief pause on the other side of the line before the radio crackled back to life.

"The Leviathans, best in the business."

Cyan felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see a scowling Rose.

"Hey, aren't the Leviathans set up on the northern border? Why is she all the way out here?"

He shrugged as he watched the aircraft come into view through the tower window. "We're stretched pretty thin."

"Yeah, but you'd think it'd be the Wyverns, or somebody else coming from the capital."

He hummed. "Yeah, does seem a bit weird that they tasked them, I guess."

"Were they on the manifest?"

"No, but you know how it's been. Half these guys haven't been."

"Yeah, just seems weird. You don't know anybody from out there, do you?"

He nodded as the craft started its lazy circle toward Alpha. "Yeah, actually used to work up there."

"What's their chant?" She asked.

"It's.." He paused before keying the comm again. "Hey, Vigilance. Leviathans!" He waited for a moment as the shuttle's engines pointed down and it began its descent.

"…Rule!" A hesitant voice called back.

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Is that really it? That's some weak ass-"

"No." He cut her off as the craft turned to face the tower. "It's, 'size matters.' Hey, get Security Forces on the line, I think-" he gasped as aircraft's gun bays started to open. "Rose, hit the alarm!"

Emerald and Rose's hands found their respective triggers at the same time.

* * *

Qrow frowned as he pushed open the door to reveal the long, dark hallway of the command building.

"Hey, Jimmy, I thought you said that Tom would still be set up in here?"

The larger man hummed as he pushed past the Hunter, scanning the darkened corridor. "Markus said he'd be here. He's been pulling long nights for a while now."

"He doesn't look here now."

"No, he doesn't." He acknowledged slowly, before turning down the hall and shouting, "Tom, you here?" He was met with deafening silence.

"Maybe he had to take care of something." Oscar offered.

Ironwood scowled. "He would have told be if he was going to miss the meeting."

Qrow shrugged. "It's been a long day, Jimmy, the guy probably just stepped out for minute for a smoke. Not like he got much work done dealing with all the pomp and circumstance of you coming in."

The General groaned. "I didn't ask for any of that."

The Hunter snorted. "Yeah, I'm sure that's the first time it's ever happened."

"Maybe we don't need you for this meeting after all." Ironwood reasoned, earning a chuckle from Oscar. "You're clearly the weakest link in this team."

"Huh, that's traditionally been Raven's job." Qrow mussed as he started down the hallway towards the Colonel's office.

"Must run in the family." Oscar quipped as he fell into line behind the two men.

"You know, Oscar, I don't think it's technically child abuse anymore if you were to fall down some stairs in here." The Hunter shot back.

"Col Markus' office is on the first floor."

"Is it? These things slip my mind in my old age."

Ironwood chuckled. "You always were a softy for children, weren't you, Qrow?"

"Says the guy that's been trying to steal Jacques' kids out from under him."

"You're doing what now? Is Weiss staying with you?" Oscar asked with a raised eyebrow.

The larger man rolled his eyes. "I'm not trying to steal them."

Qrow scoffed as he reached the base commander's door. "Suuuurrree, Jimmy. Whatever you have to tell yourself." He smirked as his hand found the handle and turned. "You know, if I weren't such a classy guy, I might have to make a few seedy accusations about your motivations for-" He cut off as the door began to swing open. "Jimmy, get the kid," he snapped, reaching for his weapon and prompting the General to place a large, steel hand on the boy's chest, holding him in place.

"What is it?" The old soldier asked tensely.

"Markus." Qrow answered, slowly pushing the door the rest of the way open. "What's left of him."

"Son of a bitch." Ironwood hissed before his gaze flicked down to Oscar. "Stand back, son, we've got-"

The boy pushed down on the General's steel arm. "I can help."

"I don't think-"

"No." Qrow cut in. "He's right. Oscar, watch the hall. Jimmy, you're with me." The Hunter declared as he pulled his blade and fully stepped into the room, Ironwood following an instant later with his hand cannon drawn. The scene that greeted them beyond gruesome, with blood painting the walls, assorted body parts scattered along the floor, and sitting on the lone desk in the back of the darkened room, Col Markus' severed head.

"Gods, Tom…" Ironwood whispered as his weapon dipped down.

"Jimmy, stay with me." Qrow ordered, scanning the room with his blade held high as he tried to avoid stepping on body parts. "We clear out there, Oscar?"

"Yeah." A voice called back from the hall.

"Good. Jimmy, you got anything on your side of the room?" He asked without turning.

"No, we're clear. I'll call it in." The General answered, voice full of disgust, before reaching down to his hip and pulling the brick radio from his belt. He keyed it and held it up to his mouth. "Control, this is Odin Lead, we have-" he frowned at the lack of the telltale static emanating from the device and pressed the key down again, hearing nothing. "Shit."

"That doesn't sound reassuring." Qrow said.

"I've got nothing on the radio."

"Well, fuck." Qrow spat. "What's the move, Jimmy?"

The General straightened. "We head for the transmission tower for the Short-Range Transmit system. The repeaters for the radios on base and there as well as the system to reach back to Atlas. If that's down, we're effectively on our own."

The Hunter grunted. "Sounds like a plan. Oscar, we're moving out." At the lack of a response, he called again. "Oscar, you hear me?" He frowned and started towards the door. "Oscar, what the-" he froze when he heard a high-pitched giggle come from the hallway. A very familiar giggle. "Jim, step away from the door," he commanded as he brought his sword to bear. Oscar's face soon returned to the open doorway, a bladed gauntlet pressed against his neck, and a sharp, grinning face of a scorpion faunus following shortly after.

"Tyrian." Qrow growled.

The faunus giggled. "Oh yes, it's good to see you again too, Little Birdy. I just got so bored waiting for you to finish up I thought I'd play with this lovely toy you left for me in the hall."

"Qrow, I'm sorry. I-" Oscar started.

"Don't worry about it, kid. Just hang tight, we'll get you out." The older man comforted.

"Oooh! You hear that?" Tyrian whispered in the squirming boy's ear. "The Little Birdy is going to save you. Isn't that exciting?" His grin grew as his gaze returned to the Hunter. "How's that been working for you so far?"

"Did you kill Tom?" Ironwood growled, stepping towards the man. "I'll-"

"Ah ah ah." Tyrian chastised, digging his blade deeper into Oscar's neck, drawing a trickle of bright, red blood. "Let's all try to be civil. After all, we don't want someone to get hurt, now do we?" He cocked his head to the side for a moment, considering, before smiling again. "Well, anyone else."

"What do you want?" The General demanded.

"Oh, what a simple man like me wants matters little. Now, what my Queen wants, that's a different matter entirely."

"Salem." Ironwood spat.

The faunus' visage brightened. "Oh good, you know her." His grip on Oscar tightened. "Though, if you speak her name like that again, I can't promise what might happen to this young man. It upsets me, and I just get so jittery when I'm upset."

"Bullshit." Qrow said.

"You don't believe me?" Tyrian asked with mock hurt, before nodding towards the remains of Col Markus scattered around the room. "Are you sure?"

"Nah, I believe you're a sadistic son of a bitch, but you definitely want something."

"And what is that, Little Birdy?"

"Me."

The scorpion hummed. "And why is that?"

The Hunter tsked. "I took your tail. Though I see you got a replacement." He finished, eyeing the dark metal of the faunus' new appendage.

"You like it?" Tyrian asked, snaking his tail around Oscar. "My Queen has made me whole."

"Made you even uglier, you mean."

"So hurtful!" The faunus gasped. "And yet, I don't remember it being you that removed my beautiful tail. That was Little Red." He finished dangerously.

Qrow grinned. "Yeah, my niece. Taught her everything she knows. Sure fucked you up something good. That must…sting a little."

"Qrow…" Ironwood warned.

The Hunter held up a hand, silencing him. "Bet you want to do something about that, don't you?"

"The thought of dropping you at her feet is tempting." The scorpion admitted. "Well, pieces of you."

"I'm right here, big guy."

Tyrian sighed. "Yes, but that wouldn't be according to plan, now would-" he cut off as the sounds of the base alarm began blaring through the air, and flashing amber lights filled the room. The faunus grinned. "Well, looks like the fun's getting started!" He loosened his grip on Oscar and pushed him towards Ironwood. "You know what? I think I'll play with you, after all."

The General grunted as he caught the boy and pushed him behind him. "Qrow, we can take him together. I-"

"No, you gotta get to that tower." The Hunter instructed as he stepped towards Tyrian. "Leave this asshole to me."

"He's right, you know. I'm sure you have big, important people things to do after all." The faunus offered helpfully, before shifting back to Qrow. "Besides, the Little Birdy is right. I do want him, and I'm afraid things might get a bit…exciting here."

Ironwood shook his head. "Qrow, we can't leave you."

"Jimmy, get the kid out of here." He hissed. "I can't fight with him here." He winced as they heard an explosion rumble in the distance. "Get to the tower. Go get us some goddamn help."

The soldier's gaze shifted between his friend and the monster still standing in the door before finally nodding. "I'm going to need you to clear a path."

"Oh, am I in your way?" Tyrian asked apologetically before stepping out of the way. "Please, by all means."

"Qrow…"

"On it, Jimmy." The Hunter bit out, shooting forward with a swing of his blade, drawing Tyrian's bladed gauntlets up and driving the scorpion further back into the hall. "Go!" He shouted without looking over his shoulder and listening to the sounds of footfalls rush out the door.

"Hold on!" Ironwood shouted back at him. "We'll be back!"

"Not if I see you first!" Tyrian cried excitedly over their crossed blades. Qrow twisted his sword till the hilt pointed at the faunus' face and pulled the trigger. The scorpion jerked his head back in time to avoid the blast and hopped back, a wide smile on his face.

"Now, that was just plain mean!"

"Yeah, well, I'm a bit of an asshole. Or so my friends tell me."

"Awww, and you do care about your friends, don't you? You were so ready to throw yourself at me for them. Such a kind man." Tyrian complimented, his tail swaying slowly behind him. "I'll be sure to tell them how much you cared when I catch up them."

"Yeah, yeah. You ready to get this started? I've got places to be."

"Yes, your friends do too. Why else did you think I let them scamper off?"

Qrow tsked and shifted forward. "Gods, you're chatty. Let me help you out. You tell me which parts you want me to remove first this time, and we'll start there."

The scorpion shook his head and chuckled. "Gods, but I have been waiting for this."

Qrow sighed. "Do you ever shut the fu-" he grunted as the faunus slammed into him, blades angling for his eyes.

"Better?" Tyrian hissed.

"Fucking finally." Qrow growled back.

* * *

Jaune burst out of the tent behind Winter, still struggling to buckle his sword on. The Beowolf camp was an explosion of chaos and activity, men and women in various stages of dress stumbling out of their tents, hurriedly pulling on their armor and weapons. His head spun around as he scanned the area for Ren and Nora in a daze. Winter shouting down Chief Zane, wearing shorts and body armor, snapped him back to reality.

"Zane! What's going on?" She demanded as she caught faunus by the arm.

He shook his head. "No idea, First. I can't get anybody on the radio. Sounds like it's coming from the ramp though."

She cursed and turned back to Jaune. "Where are Ren and Nora?"

"I don't know, I can-"

"Right here!" Nora's voice cut in, before the pinkette pulled up beside them with Ren in tow, both dressed in sleep shirts and shorts. Winter nodded to the two.

"You ready to go?"

Ren nodded back as Nora hefted her Warhammer next to him. "Just tell us where."

"Good." She snapped out, rounding on the Chief again. "Who do we have?"

The older man held up a finger as he turned and shouted at two soldiers loading their weapons and checking their hastily thrown on equipment. "Sam, Rob, you two ready to move?"

The red-headed girl shot him a quick thumbs up. "We're good to go, Chief."

He grunted and looked to Winter. "Ready when you are, ma'am."

"Then let's get to the ramp. The rest of the unit can catch up when they're ready." She ordered, before taking off in a run towards the sounds of gunfire and a bright, orange glow in the distance. Jaune turned to Ren and Nora, getting nods of approval from them before following.

"You guys hear anything else?"

Ren shook his head. "No, just the alarm and what sounded like an explosion. Made our way out here and met up with you right after."

"Yeppers!" Nora agreed.

"Damn." Jaune cursed, before doubling his speed to catch up to the rest of the team, pulling up alongside Zane. "This is bad."

The faunus snorted. "No shit, Spec. Once somebody gets inside the base, things usually get pretty shitty."

The blond winced. "What do you need us to do?"

"The ramp is pretty much open space, if we can trap them on there, we can-" he broke off as he straightened and his ears began to twitch, followed shortly by his eyes widening. "First!" He shouted, making her head whip around and her to grind to a halt.

"Chief?" She said, nervously casting a glance back at the horizon. "We need to move."

"Not that way." He declared, nodding to the right of the aircraft ramp. "They're at the refugee camps." Jaune could swear he could see her pale even in the moonlight.

"You're sure?" She asked hoarsely.

He swallowed and nodded. "I can hear them."

Jaune shook his head. "The refugees? Why would they?" His eyes widened in understanding. "Fear…they're going to try to draw the Grimm here."

"But there's thousands of them there." Nora whispered. "It'll be just like Beacon."

Winter cursed and grabbed him by the shoulder, shaking him. "Jaune, you with me?"

He nodded numbly. "…Yeah, I'm here."

"Good. I'm going to go ahead, you're in charge here till you catch up."

He scowled. "We're not leaving you."

"I'm not asking, I'm telling." She said. "I'm the fastest one here and every second counts. I'm going to try to slow whoever it is down. I'm trusting you to handle the rest." She squeezed his shoulder. "Can I trust you, Jaune?"

"Yeah...yeah, you can trust me." He promised solemnly.

"Then get moving." She said softly, before pushing him back as a glyph formed around her feet, and moment later, she was rocketing off towards the camps.

"Gods, she's fast." Sam whispered behind him, stirring him back to life. He looked over his friends and teammates and nodded.

"Let's move." He commanded.

They took off in a sprint, weapons and ammo clanging off their bodies as they ran through the throughways between the tents, their breath appearing before them in wisps as they panted along. Jaune pumped his legs for all they were worth, feeling the familiar burn return to both them and his lungs as his boots slammed down into the hard earth. He was not now, nor would ever be a fast man, but the faint glow rising in the distance, and the memory of what it had meant for Banner, and for Anthem before it, drove him forward. He turned his head to look at Ren as the ninja began to pull ahead of him, his long legs devouring the ground as he ran. He grunted as he strained to keep up with the nimble warrior slipping around obstacles, listening to the sound of boots clomping down behind him, catching up. He silently cursed, if only he were-

"Up ahead." Ren's voice roused him from his thoughts, snapping his eyes forward. Sure enough, there was a small clump of forms, perhaps four or five, running through the darkness moving to intercept them. His right hand fell to his hilt of Crocea Mors as his left shot up, bringing their group to a halt and weapons to the ready as the other group did the same a dozen meters away, waiting. His gaze flicked back and forth between the silent forms and his friend for a moment, before he whispered.

"Think they're ours?"

Ren shrugged before replying softly. "I don't know."

Jaune sighed, his breath appearing before him. "Any ideas?"

"Ask them something." The raven-haired boy suggested.

"Ask them what?"

"That sounds like a team lead type question."

"Thanks." Jaune shot back sarcastically.

"Anytime."

The blond took a deep breath as his gaze returned to the group, watching as the shifted in place. He swallowed and held his free hand up to his mouth.

"Who you with?" He called into the night air.

"He's tall, blond, and scraggly. You seen him around?" A familiar voice called back.

He sighed as Ren shook his head beside him.

"Dammit, Yang."

"Blake says you look like shit. Long night, Ladykiller?"

He chuckled as he started forward, waving the group forward as weapons dropped back to their owners' sides. As they covered the distance, the warm gold of Yang's mane came into view, along with the familiar, if tired, faces of RWBY.

"You guys ok?" He asked.

Ruby shot him a tired smile. "Yeah, we're-"

"Of course we're not ok, you dolt! The base is under attack!" Weiss snapped.

"We're fine." Blake answered for her, elbowing the ex-heiress in the side. "You guys good?"

He shook his head. "We're still here at least. What's going on back that way?"

Ruby shrugged. "Nothing yet. We were with CFVY over at the Alert building when we heard the alarm go off."

"Are they-"

"Holding down the fort there, protecting the bullheads." She answered. "Jaune, do you know what's going on?"

He winced and nodded towards the glow on the horizon. "We think they're going after the refugees."

"Gods." Blake whispered.

"Bastards." Yang growled.

"Wait, where's Winter." Weiss asked, her voice full of worry.

"She took off ahead of us, trying to slow them down." He answered.

Blake bristled. "We've got to-"

"Ah, there you are, my love." An icy voice cut through the cool air. All eyes snapped over to its owner, a very familiar dark clad figure with striking red hair.

"Adam." Blake hissed.

"Asshole." Yang agreed.

The Fang leader chuckled as he tilted his head to the side. "Still so cold? And to think, I've been so looking forward to our reunion. We have so much to talk about."

Jaune's hand drifted to the hilt of Crocea Mors as he felt his blood start to run both hot and cold. This was the last thing they needed. They had to make it to the refugees, they had to stop the Grimm, they had to get to Winter.

"Hey, Spec." Chief Zane's voice brought him back to reality as the faunus' rifle popped up. "This the guy that hit us on the last run?"

"Yeah." A voice he suddenly realized was his own answered. "That's him."

"You mind if I put a few holes in him?"

"That didn't work out so well for your comrades, traitor." Adam shot back.

"Yeah? Well the way I see it, you're as dumb as you are sick. You're outnumbered, jackass." Zane spat back.

"Am I now?" The terrorist asked, nonplussed, as one Adam became two, then three, then four.

"What the fuck?" Sam shouted, shifting from one target to another as their numbers continued to grow.

"Neo." Yang answered, cocking her gauntlets and falling into stance. "Keep your eyes peeled for-" She yelped as a shot pinged off her shoulder, causing her Aura to flair a bright yellow.

"You're Raven's daughter, right?" Emerald asked as she materialized out of the darkness, her weapons drawn.

"It's complicated." Yang growled as her gaze flickered between their myriad of foes.

"She killed Cinder." The green-haired girl accused, eyes full of hate.

"Yeah, well, I guess even she can get things right from time to time."

"Bitch."

"Slut."

"Yang." Jaune warned, glancing behind them to make sure the Adam clones hadn't encircled them. "We need to focus."

"What's the move, Fearless Leader?" Nora piped up, hammer swaying gently and menacingly in her hands.

"We gotta get to the refugee camp." He finally decided. "We finish this, then-"

"Jaune." Ruby cut him off. "You need to go. The more time you stay here, the more people die, the more Grimm. They want to hold us up."

He scoffed. "We can't leave you guys."

She shot him a teasing smile. "You trying to say the Xiao-Long and Rose sisters can't take care of themselves? How'd that turn out for you last time?"

"So-so, I guess. Happy ending at least" Yang answered with a smirk.

He turned to his lover and started to protest before she placed a finger on his lips.

"You trust me, Ladykiller?" She asked.

He swallowed and nodded.

"Then you need to go." She whispered.

He held out his hand, offering the silent power there once more before she pushed it away and shook her head.

"Nuh-huh, Ladykiller, I've got a feeling you're going to need that."

"Yang…" He pleaded.

"Go." She said. "Those people need you, Jaune. We'll be right behind you."

"Promise?"

She smirked. "You ok if it's not Arc's word? I'm not sure how that exchange rate works."

"I trust you." He said, flashing a weak smile. "I love you."

"I know, babe."

He shook his head as he stared at her fondly. "You're impossible, you know that? Nora?"

"Yeah, FL?"

"Clear the way."

"Thought you'd never ask!" The orange-haired girl cheered as she shifted her weapon and fired into the collection of Adams in front of them.

"Move, Beowolves!" Jaune cried as he took the front of the column, shield held high as they rushed through the gap Nora created. He looked to the side in confusion as the many Adams just watched them pass before he put on an extra burst of speed and made a break for the refugee camp. RWBY watched them go, waiting for one their opponents to attempt to strike out at them before relaxing as they began to fade into the distance.

"Awful kind of you." Weiss bit out suspiciously.

The Adams shrugged in unison as they slowly began to crack and shatter. "It matters little."

"What do you mean by that?" The ex-heiress growled.

The dark man hummed as the real version stepped forward. "It means you were half-right. Delaying your friends was a bonus, but delaying you…" He locked his gaze onto Ruby. "Was the real objective." He rolled his shoulders and his hand found the hilt of Wilt. "I believe the agreement was I'd get the Belladonna and her partner and you can have the others?"

Emerald tsked. "Yeah, real generous of you."

"I should think so. I'm letting you have a Schnee, after all." The Fang leader said as he stepped forward. "Now, let us begin."

* * *

The two men thundered up the stairs of the control tower.

"We have to unscramble the comms, it's going to be the only way we can coordinate a response to this madness." Ironwood shouted over his shoulder. "If you can call up Ozpin, now's the time."

The farm boy flinched. "You know?"

"Suspected."

The boy cursed. "You think she's the one pulling the strings on all this?"

"Who else?" The General growled, as they crested the stairs and threw open the door to the control room.

"Well," a voice called from the dark. "I don't like to brag, but I think I might have had something to do with it."

Standing there, surrounded by the various control panels of the tower and illuminated by the soft glow of the monitors and moonlight coming through the tower's large windows, stood Arthur Watts.

"It's been such a long time, James." He greeted warmly.

"Bastard!" Ironwood cried out, stepping forward towards the man.

"Is that any way to talk to an old friend?" The doctor drawled.

"Look, it's not too late to stop this." Oscar started, "If you just let us-"

The once headmaster was cut off as Ironwood's right arm shot out and grabbed him by the throat, raising him into the air. The boy kicked and gurgled against the vice-like grip, eyes wide.

"Quiet, boy, the adults are talking." Watts said off-handedly.

James whipped around to face the doctor. "When?! How?!" He accused as he fought to regain control of his metallic arm.

"James," He said reproachfully, "you remember my Semblance, kinetic technomancy. Any machine I touch, I control." He chuckled. "Do you know how easy it was? To have one of the girls sneak me into your camp? To greet you as you came off the airship? Posing as a young soldier, so proud at the opportunity to shake THE General's hand?" He motioned back to Oscar, "I do believe you are crushing his windpipe."

The General's eyes snapped back to his old friend, his breaths slowing, and the arm holding him. He made the only choice he could. He drew his pistol from its holster, held it to the base of his arm, squeezed, and screamed.

Oscar, and the lifeless arm, fell to the floor.

James collapsed to his knees, his breaths coming ragged and labored, Oscar coughing and sputtering beside him.

Watts stepped forward and pointed a finger at him. "Ah, there we go. You broken, on your knees, and killing your friends. Now it's just like old times, eh, Jimmy?"

"I'm..." He struggled for breath. "I'm going to kill you." He struggled to raise his pistol towards Watts. It clicked when he pulled the trigger.

Watts shook his head ruefully. "Did you learn nothing from our time together? Battles are won or lost before they're fought." He turned his back to him, facing the various displays and terminals in the room. "Now, it is interesting that you mention death." He snapped his fingers, and more displays hummed to life. "Because yours and your soldiers' will be televised." He turned and grinned over his shoulder. "To all of Atlas."

He turned back towards the cameras and spread his arms theatrically. "Ladies and Gentlemen! We apologize for this interruption of your scheduled programing, but we have something special for you tonight! James Ironwood," He mock flexed his arms, "the Lion of Atlas, fighting to the death for your entertainment!"

He turned and smiled at James. "Now, why don't you come show your old partner what you've learned?" He cocked his head to the side and considered him for a moment. "Or maybe you'd prefer to tune in for a bit to see how your men are faring? I assure you, the answer is poorly."

Ironwood roared and surged forward.

* * *

Qrow whipped his head to the side as the cold, black metal of Tyrian's tail slammed into the wall next to him, sending plaster and stone flying in the air. The metallic appendage ripped back as a bladed gauntlet took it place, just catching on his hastily raised sword. The Hunter cursed as he heard the weapon start to cycle, slamming his palm into the faunus' elbow, barely pushing the barrel to the side before it roared into his ear. He felt something drive into his liver and the world go sideways as he was thrown to the ground. He scrambled to his feet in a rush, dragging his blade in front of him as a shield in anticipation of the next attack.

It didn't come.

The smug bastard was smiling at him, his hands on his waist as his tail twitched lazily behind him. His lips were moving, but all he could hear was the steady and deafening ringing in his ears.

"WHAT?" He shouted back.

The faunus scowled and started again, and was again drowned out by the persistent ring.

He shook his head to clear it as he pointed to his ear. "I don't think you understand how ears work. You remember the part where you damn near shot mine off? I can't hear you, asshole."

Tyrian huffed and cupped his hands around mouth, taking a deep breath and preparing to shout. Qrow wasn't sure which was more satisfying, the surprise of the man's face as he whipped Harbinger up and fired it at his head, forcing the faunus to cross his arms in front of his face to block, or the crunch he felt when his boot made contact with his newly exposed ribs. He made to press forward, but the now familiar gunmetal of Tyrian's tail sliced through the air again, forcing him to hop back.

"-was dirty!" Was the first thing that reached his ears as his hearing started to return. He sighed and shrugged.

"Just the way I am. Don't worry, I'll make sure you don't have to deal with it for long."

The faunus' grin returned as he cackled. "Is that so? Well, you know what I think?"

"Probably something that'd put you on a watch list."

"I think you're stalling." Tyrian pointed to the towards his sword. "I think you're having trouble using that big thing in these tight spaces." He finished, motioning to the hall around them.

"Not a problem you've ever had to deal with, huh?"

Harbinger just barely caught the barrage of gunfire that followed. It did not, unfortunately, catch the stinger that slammed into his shoulder, knocking him back as his Aura crackled around him. He cursed as the scorpion threw himself inside his guard, howling as his gauntlets slashed at the Hunter's face and chest. He hissed as he felt the blades bite into his forearms as he continued to retreat, bringing his blade to bear as often as he could, most often to be battered away as Tyrian continued his forward assault. He wanted to bring the faunus into a clinch, where he could use his knees and elbows, or at least slow the man down, but the dark tail whipping through the air threatened to stab him in the back if he tried. He hated to admit it, but Tyrian was right, the hallway they fought in was too narrow for him to fight effectively. The faunus had let himself be pushed back out of Markus' office when they'd started, drawing him in.

He'd been played.

"Aww, what's the matter, Little Birdy?" Tyrian asked with mock concern. "Not having fun anymore?"

Qrow tsked. "Just thinking about how I liked it better when I was deaf. Didn't have the listen to you run your damn mouth."

The faunus smiled evilly as he stepped forward again. "Well, as a man once said, you won't have to deal with it for long."

Qrow's mind raced as he stepped back again, eyes flicking back behind him to ensure that there was nothing to trip on the next time he was pushed back. His gaze caught on the only lit doorway in the long hallway. Markus' office. Markus' _large_ office. His eyes snapped back into place as Tyrian stepped forward again, crushing glass underfoot as he giggled lowly.

Well, maybe he wasn't the only one that could be played.

"Are you ready, Little Birdy? I think-"

"Hey, let me ask you something." He cut the scorpion off. The other man blinked in surprise before answering.

"Yes?"

"What's Salem like?"

Tyrian's eyes immediately lit up. "My Queen!? Why, she is the epitome of grace and-"

"No, I mean like, on a scale of one to ten, what are we talking about?"

The faunus gasped in horror. "One does not refer to her majesty in such vulgar terms!"

Qrow scoffed. "Please, no guy keeps going on and on about a woman the way you do without wanting to _sting_ her."

"You mongrel!" Tyrian screeched as he shot forward, blades catching on Qrow's own. "I would never-"

"Oh? So, you're saying she's single?"

He grunted as the faunus' foot buried itself in his stomach, sending him sailing back towards Markus' office. He started to scramble to his feet before he felt the cold steel of the scorpion's tail wrap itself around his throat and lift him into the air, before slamming him back into the wall, Tyrian's arm pinning his sword arm in place.

"You dare." Tyrian hissed.

He coughed as he felt the tail start to squeeze around his neck. "I just don't think she's that into you, man." He grunted as the faunus slammed him into the wall again, causing plaster and molding to fall down on him.

He was almost there, he just needed one last push.

"I will teach you respect." The scorpion promised, slowly raising his free gauntlet to meet Qrow's gaze.

"Yeah, I'm sure. But before that, I had one last question."

"What?" The man growled in his ear.

"Do you think she thinks you're unfuckable because you're an asshole, or because you have to use this strap on?" He whispered back.

The feeling of the wall giving way behind him as Tyrian's foot slammed into his stomach shouldn't have felt like a victory, but right now? He felt like he'd just won the goddamn lottery. If he'd had any air left in his lungs, he'd have laughed. He grunted as his back thudded against the stone floor and he skidded into the hardwood desk.

Marcus' desk.

"I'm going to enjoy watching you die." A low voice promised from the new hole in the wall.

Qrow chuckled as he found his blade and dug it into the ground, pushing himself wearily to his feet.

"Right back at you, Big Guy."

* * *

"You ready?" Blake asked, flicking a glance over to her partner as she shifted in place, her weapons pointed at the dark clad bull faunus facing them down.

"Let's do this." Yang answered, eyeing the man and cocking her gauntlets as she began to circle around to Adam's left.

"It's pointless, you know. You can't win this." He explained calmly. "The base has already begun to fall, and Atlas will follow shortly after."

"Jaune's got this."

"He has very little."

"You don't know anything about him." She snapped back.

"Yang, don't." Blake warned, slowly making her way around to her ex's left. "He likes to talk, he wants to-"

"Oh, but I know _everything_ about him." Adam cut her off. "I've been in his head, as he has been in mine. Do you know what I saw there?"

"Is that Jaune's bigger than you? It's that Jaune's bigger than you, isn't it?" She smirked as she heard Blake snort from across the way.

The terrorist ignored her. "Did you know that he's broken? That he's on the edge, barely holding on?" His gaze shot over to Blake. "Not that I don't sympathize, losing one's true love can do that to a man."

"He's stronger than you, he's been able to move on."

"Take notes." Blake encouraged.

"Has he now? Is that what he's told you?" He asked.

"Well, I would know." She answered evenly.

"And how is that?"

She gave a casual shrug. "You said it yourself, the guy has been inside me. Kinda like he has with you, now that I think about it. How was it by the way? I'm always looking for peer reviews."

"Goddammit, Yang." Blake groaned.

The bull faunus shook his head, ignoring the bait. "Perhaps you're right. Perhaps he's stronger than I believe. I wonder however, if he's strong enough to survive the loss of one love, do you think he'll survive two?"

Yang froze mid-stride, gaze locking down on Adam.

"Blake?" She called out icily.

"Yeah?" Her partner answered carefully.

"I think I'm going to make you a widow."

"It definitely doesn't work like that."

"Fuck it, I tried. Shadowboxing?"

"Shadowboxing." Her friend agreed, digging the ball of her foot into the ground and pushing off, disappearing into a black blur. Adam grunted as he fell into stance, beginning to track his old flame before a round tore into his shoulder, stumbling back as his Aura crackled.

"Eyes front, cuck." Yang taunted as she rocketed forward, propelling herself along with perfectly timed blast from her gauntlets, closing impossibly fast.

The man tsked as his hand found his hilt again, lowering himself and watching the blonde close with him.

Five blade lengths. Four. Three. Two.

He flinched back as Blake appeared before him, slashing at girl on instinct, and cursing as she exploded into Dust. A curse cut short when Yang's gauntlet slammed home into his cheek, driving him back again. He was met with Blake's blade slicing along his back, forcing a gasp from his lips before the Xiao Long girl was on him again, landing a ferocious blow to his ribs. She hopped back, Blake taking her place again, and again exploding into nothingness as he struck her. So they danced, each seamlessly interchanging with the other, never providing him consistent target or style. He hissed as he felt Yang's boot buckle his knee.

"What's wrong, Addie? Seeing red yet?" She quipped, before disappearing behind a Blake shadow clone again. "Show me what you got."

It clicked. The hit and run style, so normal to Blake, but atypical for the blonde. They were trying to draw out his Semblance, to force him to waste it on a clone, lashing out blindly. He grit his teeth as he watched the young Huntress rocket forward again. Well, they weren't the only ones that could change up tactics. He lowered himself again, waiting till she was five blade lengths away.

Four. Three. Two.

He roared as he slashed at the ground in front of him, unleashing his Semblance and a wave of rock and earth into the Xiao-Long girl. He didn't have to look to know where Blake would be, spinning around to lock onto her widening eyes.

He smirked. "Hello again, my love."

* * *

Things could be going better, Ruby decided, slashing through a grinning Neo that shattered into glass-like fragments before she felt, then heard, Emerald's slug slam into her chest, dropping her to the ground.

Definitely better. A quick glance over to Weiss showed that she wasn't faring any better, fighting an invisible opponent as Neo stalked her from behind.

"Weiss, look out!" She yelled out, making the girl spin around in confusion, before disappearing altogether.

"Whatcha looking at?" A voice asked from behind her. She yelped and spun, swinging Crescent Rose in a wide and panicked arc, bravely slaying the empty air behind her.

"Almost had me that time." Emerald's disembodied voice comforted. "Maybe you should try shooting at me again." It suggested. "What's the worst that could happen?"

Ruby winced at the memory. She'd attempted to move through the illusions more quickly in the beginning by firing on them. They'd promptly angled Weiss, disguised as Neo, into her line of fire. She'd be hearing about that one later for sure. She cried out in shock as another round slammed into her knee, driving her to the ground once again.

"Too slow," Emerald chastised, appearing before her again. "Probably want to hurry up. You know, if you care about your friend." She finished, gesturing with her gun towards Weiss, desperately trying to fight off Neo. Or at least, appearing to.

"How do I even know that's real?" The reaper asked, pushing herself up to her feet with her scythe.

Emerald shrugged as she continued to watch Neo and Weiss duel. "You don't." The ex-heiress screamed in pain as the mute's thin blade pierced her side. "Wonder if that one was? Looked like it hurt."

"Why are you doing this?" The red-head shouted in desperation.

The green-haired girl laughed. "Are you for real?" Her eyes narrowed. "You know damn well."

The smaller girl shook her head. "But Cinder is-"

"Gone."

"But these people had nothing to do with-" She grunted as blow from behind drove her to her knees and the Emerald in front of her disappeared.

"You really don't get it, do you?" The thief scoffed as she walked back into view from behind her, bending down to meet her gaze. "Well, let me spell it out you, Red. I don't give a fuck about these people and neither do you."

She shook her head angrily. "You don't know anything about me."

"Think so, huh? Tell me, if one of those-" She gestured to another vision of Weiss getting cut down, "-turns out to be real, what do you think you're going to do? You think you're going to do the smart thing and get the hell out of here to try to link up with your friends and save those people you seem to care about so much? Or are you going to stay here and try your damnedest to try to murder us?"

"I-" A blade cutting across her stomach made her scream out in pain.

"Cause little miss Lolita murder machine over there, currently disemboweling your girlfriend? She could have done the smart thing. Could have gone and retired on a mountain of cash that she and old Roman had stashed away. But you know what she chose?" Ruby winced as Weiss screamed out in pain again, and Emerald smirked. "Spoiler, that one was real."

Ruby's eyes narrowed as she glared and the tanned woman. "We're not like you."

Emerald shook her head. "Maybe," another Weiss scream split the cold night air. "I guess we're about to find out." The taller woman found her feet and pointed her revolver to the Huntress' head. "You took something from me, Ruby. Maybe the only thing that's ever really mattered to me. Let me show you how that feels."

* * *

The smell. It was always the smell that struck him, that made it real. He didn't know if it was because the blood pounding in his ears drowned out the screams, or because that smell, that terrible, awful mix of burning wood, acrid plastic, and overcooked meat, was just that potent. That's not to say that the sound didn't bleed through. When they hit the edge of the refugee camp, it all came rushing in like someone had grabbed the dial of a radio and turned the volume to max.

The horrifying symphony of beast-like roars and panicked screams, the sporadic and uneven cracks of Atlesian rifles, and the impotent wail of the base's klaxon alarm providing the background of it all.

Carnage was the only word that he had that came close to describing the scene before him. The perimeter fence, hastily erected to keep the citizens of Banner contained, lay in trampled and tattered ruins on the ground. Whether from people trying to get out or things trying to get in, he didn't want to consider. The ground itself hadn't fared any better, gouged and furrowed in countless places from a stampede of claws, hooves, and feet. Spent brass laid in piles by the hundred surrounding the demolished guard shacks at the entrance to the camp. And of course, the blood. What seemed like impossible amounts of red and black blood mixed together on the cold, torn earth, leading in a clear trail further into the camp, where the screams were louder, the flames were brighter, the smell-

He let out a breath that he didn't realize he'd been holding when he felt a hand catch his arm. His eyes followed the hand down to Nora, eyes wide with worry and fear.

"Jauney." She whispered pleadingly as she glanced back towards the team, taking deep, hungry breaths as they scanned the horror in front of them, frozen in place.

He hadn't even realized they'd stopped.

Nora squeezed his arm, and it hit him. They were waiting for him. Waiting for him to make a call, to lead them through this. His pulse racing and ragged breathing suddenly didn't have anything to do with their sprint here. His foot started drift backwards of its own accord before he felt Ren come up on his left, purposely brushing against his shoulder.

"Jaune, it's your call. We'll follow your lead."

He swallowed and his mouth hung open.

 _You made a call and people got hurt…but people came home too._

"We're finding Winter," a voice he suddenly realized was his own said, "her Semblance is the only chance we're going to have of turning this around. I need to get to her and boost her. We don't stop till we find her."

"You heard the man." Chief Zane shouted behind him. "Let's fucking move, people!"

Just like he didn't remember stopping, he couldn't have told you when his legs started to carry him forward again, rushing forward towards the source of the screams.

It was the only place Winter would be.

* * *

Space.

Space was a beautiful thing, Qrow decided. Space allowed him to move, to swing, to dodge. To kick this guy's ass. He jerked back his head, narrowly avoiding the metallic stinger that buried itself in the wall behind him.

Not that the ass kicking thing was going as well as he would have liked.

"Sit still, Little Birdy." Tyrian hissed. "I've got something for you."

"Moved on from her already, huh? Good for you." He grunted as the scorpion slammed into him, his bladed gauntlets rushed towards the Hunter's face. Qrow caught the blades on his own, driving his knee into the faunus' stomach before slipping out from the wall and pushing off his opponent and stepping back into open space. "Can't say I'm interested though. I'll try to let you down easy."

The scorpion roared as he turned, lunging after the Hunter. Qrow brought his blade up in a rising arc, battering the faunus aside as stepped back and to the side, firing a few rounds into his flank for good measure. He let out a slow breath as Tyrian picked himself up off the floor, muttering all the while. The faunus was fast, too fast for the amount Aura he'd lost fighting in the hallway. The only thing that was keeping him in the game was just how furious the assassin was. If he lost that edge…

"Listen, buddy, I like seeing a guy strike out about as much the next guy. Maybe I can help you out. Tell me, was the ponytail an attempt to stay on theme with the whole tail thing, or do you just think it's cool? Cause either way, I've got some bad news."

He watched as the man's face split in a grimace and his shoulders started to tighten. He stepped back into stance, ready for the next blitz, before something very, very worrying began to happen.

Tyrian began to laugh.

"Oh my!" The faunus started, before devolving into giggles once more. "I see what you're doing now."

"Trying to help you realize this girl is out of your league?"

The scorpion shook his head with a smirk. "You're trying to upset me. Using the good name of my Queen in vain to try to make me slip." He bemoaned.

"See, you can't call her that. You're going to upset the balance in the relationship. Maybe throw in a 'dumb bit-" He cursed as the first round impacted his Aura, and he quickly brought his blade up to catch the rest. Tyrian darted to his left, coming up under his guard and unleashing a torrent of strikes with his bladed gauntlets. The two became a whirlwind of steel, sword and blades meeting again and again as the Hunter was forced back. He felt his Aura begin to peel away as the blades found their way through his defenses again and again. Harbinger found its mark just as often, but the faunus had a larger pool to draw from, glad to trade blows as they came down to the wire. He had to do something, anything, to turn the flow of the fight. He had to-

Qrow's eyes widened as he felt his foot catch of something and tumbled to the ground. He glanced down as his back met the ground, spying one of Marcus' liquor bottles.

"Son of a-" He screamed as Tyrian's stinger slammed down, piercing through his Aura and burying itself in his thigh.

"Now, you mentioned something about letting me pick which limb I wanted to remove first this time," the faunus said lowly, twisting his stinger with and drawing another scream from the Hunter. "I choose this one."

* * *

 **Ok, before you guys come to my house over this cliffhanger bullshit. I wrote out the whole climax, the problem was that it was looooonnnnngggg. So, we decided to split it, and now you get a chapter this week and another next week!**

 **Fight Nerd: For those that care, have no fear, Cr00cy and I got into another fighting debate this chapter. The crux of it was about Qrow and Tyrian's fight in the hallway. Basically, how effective can you be with a larger weapon in close quarters. My own experience comes from mostly unarmed fighting, where you can maneuver someone that specializes in kicks against the cage or a wall/hall, where they're going to be more limited in what they can throw. Stepping into boxing range is also a great way to give long range fighters fits. Cr00cy rightly pointed out that this certainly doesn't mean that a fighter with a larger weapon is useless in close quarters. They still have options to thrust, perform overhead swings, and play a more defensive role. It's a complex struggle to get to your preferred range/space while still showing enough threats that your opponent doesn't feel that they have freedom to do whatever they want in theirs. Never fully concede an area of the fight to an opponent, or now they'll have somewhere to rest.**

 **Because we're nerds, our debate involved measuring dimensions of halls, ceilings, weapons, YouTube videos, theorizing fighting styles, and eventually Berserk references and dragons...good talk.**

 **Cr00cy: Yep. I was hesitant to point it out at first, because I knew like 99% people will not care, but hey, a bit of nerd talk never killed anyone. At least I never talked with anyone who died from it.**

 **Anyway fighting in enclosed space with big sword. It looks simple - you have a big weapon, and not enough space to use it effectively. So, you are in trouble, right? Well, not really. First of all, it's important to determine** _ **how**_ **enclosed said space is. Is it only horizontally, or vertically too? Is your back against the wall, or you have space to maneuver? Finally, if it's a narrow corridor, how narrow is it? Can your opponent try to attack from the side, or is it so narrow that they have to come from the front?**

 **Many people seem to overestimate how much space you need to throw a decent cut. In the worst case scenario, you can always use your sword as a discounted spear - even if you can't cut, it's still long, sharp piece of metal.**


	22. Fighting Monsters

**JJD: What's that? You want more violence?**

 **Okey dokey**

 **Cr00cy: You know what they say. If violence doesn't solve all your problems, you're simply didn't use enough of it**

 **Chapter 21**

 **Fighting Monsters**

* * *

 **W.S. Quote Book Says:** _"Life is a fight for territory and once you stop fighting for what you want, what you don't want will automatically take over."_ **\- Les Brown**

 **W.S. Playlist Says: "** _Bring da motherfuckin' ruckus"_ **\- Wu Tang Clan**

* * *

"Awww. What's the matter, Little Birdy?" Tyrian asked, leaning over the wailing Qrow, planting his foot on his knee. "Run out of things to say?" He twisted his tail inside the Hunter's leg, the mechanical thing clicking and whirring as the Hunter screamed again. "Of ways to mock my Queen?"

The Hunter croaked before exploding into a coughing fit when the assassin slammed his boot down on his chest.

"Sorry, couldn't quite hear you. Want me to come a little closer?" The faunus leaned forward, digging his stinger in deeper as he hunched over the fallen man. "What was that?"

"I..I'm…"

"Still can't hearrr youuu." The scorpion sang, pressing his bladed gauntlet into his opponent's stomach, and his face inches away from Qrow's. "A little louder, if you don't mind."

Qrow grimaced, swallowed, and whispered. "I-I said I'm hurt…" he coughed, "that you thought I'd run out of ways insult that dumb bitch."

Tyrian snarled as he began to pull his tail back, ripping it out of the Hunter's leg with a wet _pop_ as his arms pinned Qrow's to the ground. "I think I've heard quite enough." He hissed as the stinger positioned itself above the Hunter's head. "Bye, bye, Birdy," he grinned as he moved his head out the way, his tail plunging down towards his opponent's face. It stopped perhaps a foot away, the faunus scowled as servos clicked and whirled, seized in place.

It was Qrow's turn to chuckle. "Having performance issues?"

"You insolent-"

Qrow spat blood up into the man's open eyes, making him shriek in anger as he ripped his head away. His foot caught on the same liquor bottle that Qrow's had, sending him to the ground in a heap. The Hunter roared as he threw himself forward, landing on top of the blinded faunus and striking blow after blow at his unprotected face. He grimaced as a bladed gauntlet shot up, digging a deep gouge in his cheek before he caught the arm and bent it at the elbow, bringing the scorpion's blade back to his own throat. The faunus hissed and cursed as his free hand caught the blade, desperately trying to keep it from his neck. Qrow grinned as he watched Aura crackle and blood start to flow from the scorpion's palm.

"Anything you want me to tell her for you?"

Tyrian scowled. "I'll kill-"

He drove his forehead down into the faunus' face, forcing a scream out and the blade down. He waited till he felt the body still completely, then rolled onto his back with a groan.

"You had me." He admitted to the body. "Just bad luck I guess." He glanced down as his freely bleeding leg and winced. "A lot of that going around at the moment." He sighed as he pulled his belt off and started to wrap it around his leg, cinching it up as he made his makeshift tourniquet. He hissed and pushed himself back till he was leaning against Markus' desk. He spied the bottle they'd both tripped over, reaching out and dragging it over, he chuckled as he held it up to inspect the label.

"Really, Markus? The cheap shit?" He tossed the bottle to the side with a sigh. "You could've afforded better." His gaze fell on his friend's head, laying a few feet away, as the darkness started to take him. "You sure as shit deserved better."

* * *

The jab snapped James head back, but it was the cross that made his knees buckle. The knee to his chin is what sent him sprawling.

"Come now, _General_ , you're slowing down in your old age." Watts chided. "Feeling out of balance without that arm I gave you?"

James found his feet and wiped the blood from his lip. "You gave me nothing!" He growled, throwing a wild hook at the other man.

The doctor dipped under the blow and crashed his fist into the General's ribs, eliciting a pained grunt. He followed by slamming his heel into his knee and whipping his elbow up underneath his chin.

"I gave you everything, Jimmy!" He roared. "You fleet!" His fist sank into his stomach. "Your mining technology!" A hook made the soldier's head spin around. "Your revolution." The next blow broke his nose, knocking him to the ground. "I am Atlas! And how do you repay me?" He asked, grabbing the General by the hair and pulling him to his feet. "By exiling me from. My! Own! Country!" Punctuating each word by slamming James' head into a nearby panel, sending sparks flying with each impact. He let the General sink to the floor, blood pouring down his face, before taking a knee beside the prone man.

"Does it hurt? Knowing that your men are dying out there for the world to see? I bet it's killing you." He whispered. "That was always your problem, you know. You cared too much." He slapped him across the face. "You couldn't sacrifice the pieces that needed to be sacrificed."

"We're…not…chess pieces." James gasped.

Watts grabbed him by the throat. "Oh, Jimmy, that's all you've ever been." He squeezed, eliciting a pained choke from the wounded man. "Do you know how easy it would be for me to shut down the life-support systems in your chest? To end this now? I can already see your servos click and move every time you attack, telling me when to dip and dodge. You never stood a chance." He leaned in close. "But where would the fun in that be? We have a show to put on, after all. I can't wait for them to see you fall. For the panic to set in. Can you imagine? All that fear is going to fuel her armies like nothing before, and it'll be all. Your. Fault." He stood back up to his full height. "Get up, General. I need to knock you back down again."

He grunted in pain as something struck him on the side of the head and sent him across the room.

A panting Ozpin, discoloration already clear on his throat, stood protectively above the General. "As a former headmaster, I'd like to have a word with you about your stage presence." He held his can out in front of him at the ready. "I think it could use some work."

* * *

Blake was fast. Incredibly so even.

Adam knew this.

What he also knew is that that mattered little when you couldn't use that speed. He grabbed his surprised ex-lover by the wrist as she attempted to flee backwards, yanking her forward into a headbutt that forced a curse from her lips before the follow-up knee to the solar plexus silenced her. He wasn't able to use his blade as effectively as he'd like in such close quarters, especially with Blake's smaller blades, but he could beat her into submission…or death. He ignored the churn such thoughts caused in his stomach as he pulled the cat faunus forward again, slamming his elbow into her temple and dropping her to the ground in a heap. She groaned as she began to turn, still pulling against his grip on her wrist, trying to free herself.

"Stop." He commanded, placing his blade against the prone girl's throat. "It's over, Blake. Don't make me do something I don't want to."

"You don't care about me." She spat blood onto the ground. "You just want to use me against my parents."

He cocked his head to side. "Can't it be both? The Belladonnas have always been kind to me, they just never understood how bad it is out there. I have no wish to hurt them, or you, any more than I have to." He tsked as he looked over his shoulder. "I'd stay there, were I you, human."

Yang froze in her tracks, abandoning her attempt to sneak up on the bull faunus with a curse. "Sorry, Blake. Guess we can't all be sneaky."

The dark-haired chuckled and attempted to try to sit up before Adam's boot in her chest drove her back down. "You? Sneaky? Nah, that was never really your style."

"Yeah." Yang agreed, taking up a stance again as she stared Adam down. "Always more of a direct approach kinda girl."

"Then do it." Blake demanded.

"Do not." Adam warned again. "You've seen how charging me head on has turned out twice now. You will not survive a third."

Yang let out a long, slow breath, closing her eyes. "Yeah, well, you know what they say." The blonde's eyes snapped open, a deep crimson. "Third time's a charm." The brawler shot forward as if fired from a cannon, racing forward as Adam's blade drifted into place. The faunus warrior silently measured the distance between them once more.

Four lengths. Three. Two.

He stared in confusion as Yang's right hand shot forward, well out range, in a punching motion. His confusion was doubled when the arm detached itself at the elbow and rocketed forward, slammed into his nose a snapping he head back. He snarled in rage and struggled to hold his ground as the pain washed over him. He wouldn't be undone, not like this, not when he was so close. His arm lashed out, slashing Wilt at the now defenseless Xiao-Long's throat. Then he felt his world began to shift and turn as the ground seemed to give way beneath him. Blake grabbed onto his ankle and roared as she turned, taking his feet out from under him and sending Wilt's arc just above Yang's head.

The blonde slammed into him without slowing in the least, sending the three of them down to the ground in a tangle of limbs. Adam rolled as he felt his back touch the ground, sweeping the one-armed Xiao-Long girl and popping up on top on her, straddling her chest. He howled in rage as he dropped one, two, three unanswered blows to her unprotected face, feeling her nose give way under his assault. He raised his Aura coated fist once more and hissed as he felt a thin piece of fabric wrap itself around his throat and Blake yanked on Gambol Shroud's ribbon, pulling him back off Yang and onto her. He tried to spin and turn as his hands fought against the cloth, but her legs wrapped around him, preventing him from turning back into her. He coughed and sputtered as his hands pulled and punched ineffectually, trying to stop the black slowly filling his vision. Then something else appeared in his tightening field of vision, the broken and battered visage of Yang Xiao-Long, pinning his arms as best she could.

"Knock'em out, Blake." She called to her partner.

"Kill…me." He choked out.

The blonde shook her head as she leaned down, eyes filled with cold anger. "No, you don't get to be a martyr."

"We're not making any more Adams today." Blake hissed in his ear.

And at that, he could help but laugh as the darkness took him. A painful, labored sound, but distinct nonetheless.

The Belladonnas just didn't understand. He didn't want any more Adams.

The problem was that Atlas was making them every day.

* * *

Ruby spun as Emerald's weapon fired, the round deafening her as she slashed at the dark girl's legs and growling in frustration as the illusionist once again disappeared into nothingness.

"You can't win." A voice said behind her.

She pushed off the ground in front of her, activating her Semblance as she rocketed backwards and spun like a top with her scythe as she attempted to find the real Emerald. She slowed to a stop and scowled as she turned to see a trio of Weisses slow clapping for her.

"Wow, good plan, Rubes." The first congratulated.

"Yeah, almost had us." The second agreed.

"But the thing is…" The third started before the other two joined in chorus. "You will never, ever, beat us one-on-one. We own your senses."

The reaper tsked as she shot a glance over to the other Weiss, the one that _might_ be real, fighting against an opponent she couldn't see across the way. Emerald picked up on it immediately.

"You know," the Weisses started, "even if you could make it over there, who do you think she's fighting? What do you think she's fighting right now?" The three grinned wickedly. "She's going to get cut down by a swarm of Rubys. The last thing she'll ever see is those silver eyes staring down at her." They chuckled. "Really only seems fair if I return the favor for her, huh?" The trio of Weisses drew their rapiers and stepped forward.

Ruby took a slow step back and looked towards Weiss again, what she hoped what was the real Weiss, as a plan started to form. It was a dumb, desperate plan. One that Weiss would yell at her about for sure. She smiled a little at that and kicked off the ground again, picking up speed with each stride as she aimed herself straight at her partner.

"Oh no you don't!" She heard Emerald call behind her as one Weiss became two, then four. Still she ran faster, locked onto the collection of white-haired girls. When she was a leap away, she opened her mouth and prayed.

"Hey, Weiss, you want to talk about boys like tall, blond, and…"

"Scraggly?" The second Weiss from the left answered uncertainly, turning to face the source of the noise. Ruby pushed off one final time and aimed directly at the girl, spreading her arms wide and barreling at her at full speed. Weiss cursed as she hastily summoned a glyph to deflect the incoming projectile. Ruby grinned as her feet made contact with the spinning, glowing surface and kicked off, shooting backwards twice as fast. She held her scythe out and spun like a top, trying not to think too much about it when she felt it catch on something briefly before freeing itself.

She was less successful at ignoring the hot and wet spray that covered her cloak.

When her feet touched down again, she slowly turned around, looking over Emerald's prone and bisected form laying in the grass to see Weiss' shocked face…and Neo's infuriated one beyond that.

"It's over." She called out to the older woman, exhausted, prompting Weiss to spin around and bring her blade up. "You'd have to take us both and hope that Adam comes out on top."

The mute glared at her, eyes full of hate as they flickered between to two Huntresses.

"Let it be over for today." Ruby pleaded. "You know we can't stop you from leaving."

The multi-colored girl's face ran through a range of emotions before finally settling on a smirk, staring directly at her and dragging a thumb across her throat before popping out of existence.

"Promises, promises." Ruby sighed as she fell to her hands and knees, for once unconcerned about Crescent Rose as it clattered to the ground. She didn't even have the energy to make the effort to sit up as Weiss reached her.

"Gods! Ruby, are you ok!?" Her partner asked, voice thick with concern despite her own numerous cuts and bruises.

"Yeah, think so. Just tired. Really, really, tired." She answered weakly.

The white-haired girl shook her head. "You're lucky to be alive! Are you insane!?" The older girl scolded. "How'd you know I'd react like that?"

The reaper laughed bitterly as a tear ran down her cheek.

"That's what you always used to do when I tried to hug you."

* * *

The first Grimm they came upon was a Beowolf, hunched over something indistinguishable, but the crimson coating on its snout when it raised its head at the sound of their approach left little question as to what it might be.

Sam's shot took it through the eye as it began to turn to face them. They didn't even slow down as they stampeded over the quickly decaying Grimm corpse, the team's rifles cracking as they found the Beowolf's pack mates, mowing them down as they found their way out of the refugee shelters, their black fur matted with red.

"Gods." He heard Sam whisper behind him once the last had dropped.

"Hey, Spec, there right be people still in those buildings." Rob said, glancing towards the torn and broken entrance of one of the few shelters the Grimm hadn't come out of. Jaune looked forward towards the densest part of the camp, still burning and producing deafening screams.

"Keep moving. We don't stop. We can't stop." He finally said.

"Jauney…" Nora started.

"He's right." Zane cut in. "This ain't going to stop till we can cut off the source. The First is our best chance. These people-" he swallowed and shook his head, "keep moving."

The blond turned to his green-clad friend. "Ren, can you?"

The young man nodded, closed his eyes, and Jaune felt a wave of eerie calm wash over him. Ren opened his eyes and sighed. "It's done."

They ran the next few hundred meters in silence, only the sound of their heavy breathing providing some respite from the terrified sounds around them as they made their way towards the center of the camp. When the dark forms of the main host of the Grimm finally came into view, it was the cries of the refugees that let them know why they'd gathered there.

"We don't stop." Was all he had time to say before they hit the teaming host. The first Grimm didn't even bother to turn and face them, the fear coming from the refugees was too much for them to resist. His roar was drowned out by that of the Ursa that he plunged his sword into, dragging the blade down from its collar bone to its belly, sending the beast to the ground in a slump. Nora's hammer took the head off the Beowolf rushing to fall on him as he wrenched his weapon free. A hail of bullets from Ren's Storm Flowers tore through next two, cutting their howls short. He lunged forward, taking another's arm off at the elbow before slamming his shield into its face and feeling the skull give way as the creature dropped like a puppet with its strings cut. The quickly formed a wedge, him taking the lead with Ren and Nora taking up his flanks, threshing through the monsters as they plowed forward towards the center of the battle, the teams' rifles barking as they picked off any that attempted to move towards their blind spots.

"Jaune!" Ren shouted over din, pointing with the blade in his left hand as he tore its twin free of an Ursa's throat. The knight followed his friend's gaze over to their left, where unmistakable flashes of blinding, white light signaled their goal.

"Nora, clear the way!"

"On it!" The pinkette acknowledged, shifting her weapon to its grenade launcher form and unleashing a salvo at the horde of Grimm between them. As they surged through the gap, he finally caught sight of her.

She was a Valkyrie, a blade in each hand as she danced from monstrosity to monstrosity, glyphs rolling off her as she slowed and accelerated in equal measure, leaving none alive in her wake. He grimaced at her appearance. Her hair unbound and her clothes covered in sweat and blood, whose was impossible to tell, and her Aura flickered as stray claws and fangs found her in the chaos.

He cursed. It didn't make any sense. Where were her summons? Why weren't they protecting her? Was she already to taxed to produce more? If so, they were finished here and now. A scream caught his attention, and he whipped his head to the right. That's when he saw them, a circle of ghostly white Beowolves, Ursa, and Knights tearing into any of their dark brethren that dared approach. And at their center?

A desperate and ragged collection of dozens, if not hundreds, of refugees, clutching to each other as the attempted to press further inward, away from hungry claws and maws.

"Shit." He cursed again. She was protecting them, but in doing so, drawing the Grimm in, forced to fight alone while her Semblance protected the citizens of Banner.

"Spec!" Chief Zane shouted, firing his rifle into the mouth of a lunging Beowolf. "We need a plan!"

He looked quickly between Winter and the civilians once more before making his decision.

"Chief, take the team and back up the summons. We'll back up Winter!"

"Rog!" The dog faunus shot back before turning to Sam and Rob. "Move, Beowolves, move!" The team opened up fire as one as they pushed towards the line of white phantasms. Jaune's gaze locked back onto his team leader, currently screaming like a madwoman as she leapt into the air and buried both her blades into an Ursa Major's eye sockets, completely oblivious to the Beowolf coming up behind her.

"Winter!" He yelled, sword tearing through another Grimm as he tried to push the beast away and press forward, only for his heart to catch in his throat as he felt the blade catch on the still writhing Ursa's bones. He looked up once more in a panic at the Beowolf closing in on Winter and made his choice. His hand released the hilt of Crocea Mors, letting it and the Grimm attached to it fall to the ground, as it flew down to the new holster on his belt and closing around the grip of Stevens' gun. He drew the pistol, aimed it like Stevens had shown him, and fired.

Reality seemed to suspend for a moment, as he could feel the kick of the pistol in his hand, could see the bright flash of the muzzle in the night air, obscuring his view of the Beowolf he'd had lined up in his sights. The one thing that didn't seem to register was the sound of the shot itself. Indeed, it was starkly silent in his mind as the scene slowly, impossibly, began to unfold again before him. The Grimm closing in on Winter's exposed back, the bullet going wide to the left of the beast, the flash of her Aura as the round impacted against her and ricocheted back into the Beowolf's open mouth, sending into a sputtering, choking fit. Winter spun as she heard the noise, cleaving the Grimm's head from its shoulders before looking around in a fury for the source of the shot.

 _Holy shit!_ He thought, shocked at the sequence of events.

Blue eyes locked onto his own, narrowing in anger.

 _Oh shit!_

He stood there, frozen in place, as he saw the telltale flash of glyph before feeling her appear beside him, the point of her saber burying itself into another Grimm.

"You shot me!" She accused in a rage.

"And the Grimm!" He defended weakly as he holstered the firearm and stooped to pull his blade from the decaying monster where he'd left it.

"You shot me!" She yelled again, circling around behind him to cover his back as he took up a stance.

"I don't think this is the time for little details-" He began, stopping to drive his blade up through the bottom of an Ursa's jaw and through its brain.

"Details!?" Winter shouted back, slitting a Beowolf's throat as it swung a little too wide.

He swore he could hear Nora laughing somewhere in the sea of monstrosities.

He coughed. "The point is that you're safe now!"

"Oh, my hero!" She mocked back as he felt something hot and wet splash onto his back. "I forgot the part of the fairy tale where the knight shoots the princess!"

"You're not acting very princess-like right-" He grunted in pain as a Beowolf seized down on his shield arm, shaking its head like a dog with a ragdoll before his sword plunged into its exposed neck. Its twin jumped up to fill its place, open jaws closing in around his head before felt a hand jerked him back, and a phantom sparrow dove into the Grimm's eye.

"Didn't want to leave you without a role." She whispered into his ear, causing a heat to rise in the back of his neck, before pushing him back upright. "Now fight."

"What's the plan?"

"You're looking at it." She called back tiredly.

He looked out onto the sea of Grimm continuing to converge on them, chasing the fear, chasing the light, and swallowed.

"I have concerns about the plan."

"So help me, Jaune Arc, if you don't have something helpful to offer…" She growled.

"I've still got the link!" He called out, stepping into an Ursa's swing and thrusting his blade into its exposed stomach. "I figured we'd need it here!"

"You're not wrong." She muttered, taking a Beowolf's arm at the elbow and shoving her smaller blade into ribs. The beast howled and thrashed in its death throes, connected with its stump of an arm and sending her stumbling back into Jaune, who propped her up.

"And?" He asked, reaching out a hand that promised power. He watched her gaze flick around the losing battlefield for a moment, locking in on their team defending the civilians, two which were already down to their sidearms, before darting over to Ren and Nora.

"Get Ren and Nora first." She demanded. "I've got a plan."

He nodded and shouted over the chaos, turning back once the two started to cleave their way through the Grimm horde. "What's the new plan?"

"Summons, lots and lots of summons."

He raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you pass out last time you tried that?"

"I didn't say it was my best plan."

He shook his head as Ren and Nora pulled up beside them, already looked ragged and tired. "Winter, we'd have to summon dozens of-"

"I know." She cut him off.

He took a slow breath. "Will it work?"

She bit her lip. "Maybe."

"What are we maybing about?" Nora asked as her hammer caved in the skull of an overeager Ursa.

"I think our survival." Ren provided, firing the last of Storm Flower's rounds into a pair of closing Beowolves.

"Oh, so like normal." The orange-haired girl called back, somehow sounding relieved.

Winter sighed. "This is how I die."

"Winter…" Jaune urged, thrusting his hand forward again.

"Right." She acknowledged, grabbing onto his hand before turning to Ren. "I don't think we're going to be very useful for the next few minutes. We need you to buy us time."

The dark-haired boy nodded. "We'll give you all we have."

The Specialist looked back to him once more and stared into his eyes. "Do it."

* * *

 _There was darkness. There was light. A beautiful, impossibly white light that felt somehow cool and warm at the same time. He reached out and grabbed the light, and felt it grab him in turn. No, it felt different this time. The light wasn't just holding him, it was pulling him, taking him somewhere._

 _The scenes came faster than they even had before._

 _He was leaning over his own shoulder, teaching him to break down Stevens' pistol._

 _He was pleading with General Ironwood to consider recruiting a young, blond haired man traveling with Qrow._

 _He was listening in stunned silence as he listened to that same blond knight tear apart everything, he thought he'd ever known._

 _All came as impossibly fast flashes, there and gone as the light continued to pull him deeper, pull him closer. What were they searching for? What was the light trying to show him?_

 _Why was it so afraid?_

 _He was in a large, white, rumble covered room. One that his, her, mind recognized as the old Council building. He glanced around the room and spotted a group of what he somehow knew to be hostages gagged and bound in the corner, one of which lay unmoving, a crimson pool formed around him. Then the two viper faunus appeared as if out of the air, their spear and knives twirling in the dim light of the room. He tried to push himself up, to stand, only for a searing hot pain to shoot through his left knee, sending him to the ground once more. He cursed as he looked down and saw the wound, pouring blood and exposing tendons and sinew. It was then that he heard the panicked, wheezing breathing beside him. He turned his head and saw Winter, staring wide-eyed at the two closing White Fang members._

" _Winter?" He asked slowly._

" _They're going to die." She whispered._

" _Winter, we can stop these guys. We can-"_

 _She shook her head violently. "No, not them. Me. I'm going to do it."_

" _What? Winter, I don't understand."_

" _Don't you get it!?" She half-shrieked. "I'm going to summon it and it's going to kill them all!" She swallowed, finishing in a whisper. "It always kills them all. Every time."_

 _The realization dawned on him. "How often?"_

" _Depends on the week." She answered weakly._

" _Gods, Winter…"_

" _I thought that we'd need it, that I was ready…" She explained in a rush, staring at some point in the room beyond the viper faunus, "but I'm not! It's going to come here and it's going to kill them all!" She began to hyperventilate as she continued. "I can't do this! This was stupid and reckless and I'm going let them all down agai-"_

" _Winter!" He snapped, finally drawing her gaze away from the point in the middle of the room. "Do you trust me?" She stared at him for a moment before nodding slowly. "Because I trust you. You can do this."_

" _I can't!" She burst out. "They're going to-"_

" _Winter…" He grimaced, "these people are already dead."_

 _The woman, seeming impossibly young and small in that moment, hung her head._

" _I know."_

 _He reached out a hand and found hers, squeezing it. "But there's people out there we can still save."_

" _I know." She whispered again, squeezing his hand back as she drew her knees up into her chest. "I'm scared."_

" _Me too." He admitted, looking back to the point in the room she'd been staring at. "What is it anyway?"_

" _I don't know." She swallowed. "It's big. Too big"_

 _He shot her a weak smile. "Really? I bet we can take him."_

" _You're crazy." She mumbled._

" _So I have been told." He squeezed her hand again. "We can do this. Together."_

 _She took a deep breath and weaved her fingers into his. "Together." She agreed, finally looking back towards the center of the room, staring into nothingness with him._

 _This time, the nothingness stared back._

* * *

Lie Ren wasn't quite sure how to process what he was seeing. One moment, he'd been struggling with Nora to hold back the horde of Grimm that was pushing ever closer to the frozen forms of Jaune and Winter, losing meter after meter and foothold after foothold their circle grew smaller and smaller. Then, just when it seemed like they'd reached their breaking point, a blinding flash of white had driven all of the Grimm, and them, to the ground. What happened next wasn't so unusual, except in its staggering scale.

Glyphs began to appear in the dozens across the devastated camp, without any rhyme or reason to their placement. They appeared in the night sky, next to the huddled masses that the team and Winter's phantasms sought to protect, under the very ground the Grimm stood upon. The battle ground to halt as the Grimm shifted and growled at the new interlopers, a few of the bold ones getting close enough to reach out claws to test the shimmering glyphs.

They were seized by the glyphs' own glowing white claws. The field exploded back into action as dozen, no, _hundreds_ of phantom Grimm began to pour forth from their portals, falling on their black brethren a manic ferocity. They came in every shape and size imaginable, Alpha Beowolves, Deathstalkers, Nevermore, Ursa Majors, and innumerable more. Every Grimm slain in a very active career as a Huntress was marching forward from Winter's mind, just as intent on death and destruction as they had been in life. The din was deafening as the two tides set upon each other, with roars, limbs, and blood become intertwined in one the single greatest display of violence he'd ever witnessed.

That's when they started screaming. His gaze shot back to Jaune and Winter, both letting out terrifyingly pained cries as their eyes shown with some kind of unearthly light. He arrived at their side only an instant after Nora.

"What's wrong with them, Renny!?" She cried over the noise, hugging onto Jaune as her eye pleaded with him for answers. Answers he didn't have.

He shook his head. "I don't know!"

She squeezed their leader a little tighter as he moved closer and wrapped his arm around her. She looked up and started to say something before her eyes grew wide and stared over his shoulder.

He frowned. "Nora, what's-" He turned and saw it.

A glyph starting to form some 30 or 40 meters away, turning slowly on the ground. No, that didn't do it justice. It was _the_ glyph. It was larger than any he'd ever seen by a wide, wide margin, stretching out what must have been over a dozen meters. It still almost seemed too small for what started to come out of it.

A giant, evil looking claw shot up into the night sky, connected to a long, muscular arm covered in fur and segmented ivory armor plates. He watched in awe as the enormous limb began to lean and fall, looking for all the world like a felled tree as it slammed palm first onto the ground, crushing Grimm underneath it. Then the arm began to move, shifted to place its hand on the ground as its muscles bulged and flexed as it pushed. The second arm appeared shortly after, joining its brother as whatever giant monstrosity that existed on the other side of the glyph seemed to will itself into existence. The head, that of a Beowolf with fangs too numerous and too large to fit in its mouth and short, swept, ram-like horns, pushed itself over the barrier. A moment later, the beast had fully emerged from whatever hell it originated from.

Colossal. That was the only word Ren had for it. When the creature pulled itself up to its full height, it must have been over 30 meters tall, surveying the moonlit bathed camp like some kind of dark god as all eyes stared back up at it. It looked like some child's nightmare mix of Grimm, Beowolf fangs and claws, Beringel armor and corded muscle, Nevermore razor pinons, and a giant, snake-like tail slowly swaying behind it. It threw its head back and howled at the shattered moon, the sound drowning out all others in the camp and piecing him to his very core. The creature's gaze finally seemed to settle in on a particularly large Ursa Major, still leagues smaller than itself, and took its first slow step forward, reaching out and plucking the Ursa from the earth. It lifted the screeching and fighting Grimm up to its maw, and with a slow, lazy motion closed its jaw around it, splitting the creature in half with a horrific _crunch_ and letting the remainder fall to the ground.

The Grimm collapsed like a sandcastle before a tidal wave. The stumbled over themselves to flee the giant white wolf as it took another step forward, eyes roving over the crowd for the next largest challenger. Its roar spurred the other phantom Grimm on, and they fell upon their brothers' backs, ripping the fleeing Grimm to pieces wherever they found them.

"Holy shit, that sucked." He heard Jaune croak beside them. His head snapped around just in time to see the knight's legs go out and Nora began gently lowering him to the ground. He winced as he heard Winter thud to the ground beside them.

"No, no one help me." The Specialist groaned. "Wouldn't want to impose."

"It's because they like me better." Jaune teased weakly as he rolled to his side towards the older woman.

"Jauney, are you ok!" Nora shouted, shaking the poor blond in worry and causing the boy to moan.

"Easy, Nora." Ren suggested, grabbing his friend's wrist. "Let him rest."

"Sure, cause he was doing allllll the work." Winter complained again.

"I mean, I did a lot."

"You helped…some."

"Thanks, very Weiss of you."

"You think you're funny."

"Hilarious even."

"I'm not my sister."

"Yeah, I know. I never got Weiss laid out on the ground beside me exhausted and covered in sweat."

"Watch it, Arc." She warned.

"What is that thing?" Ren cut in, looking at the enormous back of the retreating creature.

Winter sighed. "My nightmare, I think."

"That's so cool!" Nora celebrated beside him.

He ignored her. "What will it do?"

The Specialist shrugged weakly. "Hunt Grimm?"

"I've heard more certain answers."

"Sorry, that…thing, didn't come with instructions." She shot back.

"Can we name him Snowball?" Nora asked excitedly.

Ren sighed. "Nora, we-"

"Sure. Whatever." Winter answered lazily, prompting another cheer from Nora.

"Hey, Winter, I've got a question you can answer." Jaune started, an evil grin starting to make its way across his face.

"I swear to all the gods that I now know exist, Jaune, if you-"

"Was it good for you too?"

She glared at the knight. "Hey, Jaune?"

"Yeah?" He smirked back.

"Go fuck yourself. That's an order."

Ren just shook his head. It was too much. The battle, the last-minute miracle, the people, the absurdity of it all. He began to laugh. It started as a slow chuckle, but began to build and build till it echoed through the night, and he fell back on the cold, Atlas ground, clutching at his sides.

Nora shot a worried look over to Jaune. "Hey, FL, I think you broke Renny."

The knight tsked. "He was broken when we got him."

Nora smirked and bent over her childhood friend. "Hey, Renny, you gonna be ok down-" she was cut off when the dark-haired boy reached up and grabbed her by the head, slamming his lips on hers in a long, deep kiss.

"Finally." Winter muttered.

When the two broke off, they both panted for air, and Nora, still looking down at Ren, called out to Jaune.

"Hey, Jauney?"

"Yeah?"

"Keep breaking Ren."

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

Watts growled as he lunged for Ironwood's prone form, only to have to hop back as Ozpin's cane thrust forward, battering his arms as he shielded himself from the assault.

"Impudent wretch!" The doctor spat.

"Getting frustrated, are we?" The headmaster observed casually, eyes tracking the man as he circled, careful keep himself between him and Ironwood.

The doctor's face contorted in a scowl, before he took a breath, let it out, and chuckled. "Oh, dear boy. Frustrated? No, not frustrated. Overeager, perhaps." The mustached man ran a hand through his hair. "I must admit, It seems I underestimated you."

"It happens, ask Leo." Ozpin replied.

"Ah yes." Watts seized on the name. "Good old, Leo. So kind of you to implicate him on camera."

The headmaster cursed as the older man laughed again.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, boy. We all make mistakes. But I, unlike our dearly departed friend…" He continued as he reached into his coat and pulled out two wicked looking trench spikes. Brass knuckles that ended in long, straight blades at the base. "I don't repeat mine. I'd say that I regret having to kill a child, but…" he shrugged, "that hasn't been my experience."

"You truly are a monster, Watts." Ozpin shot back.

"Yes, but one that's not interested in keeping you up at night. Here, let me help you go to sleep." The doctor's hand shot out, grabbing onto a terminal and sending a surge of power through it that caused the panel closest to Ozpin to explode in a shower of sparks. He lunged forward as the headmaster cried out and covered his eyes, slamming a hook into his liver before delivering an uppercut that stumbled the smaller man. Ozpin tired to bring his cane around, but doctor stayed in close, delivering stinging blow after blow, digging in his spikes whenever the boy would raise his arms to defend himself. He grinned as he hooked the younger man's cane on one of his blades, wrenching the weapon free and tossing it across the room while pressing his other blade into his throat, shoving him up against a control panel as his Aura crackled.

"Not bad, whelp. Perhaps you would have grown into something. Guess we'll never know." He leaned in close and turned Ozpin's head towards the cameras with his blade. "Anything to say to mommy and daddy before I send you on?"

"You don't have to-"

"Unoriginal," the older man tsked as he reared back and raised his free blade into the air. His look of victory turned into one of shock and pain as a metal club struck him across the face, sending him to the floor. Ozpin coughed and clutched at his throat as he looked up at his savior. James Ironwood, standing there holding his own metal arm weakly in his other, face battered and bruised.

"You know, for a guy that's so proud of not repeating his mistakes…" the General spat on the ground, "you sure seem to keep screwing up killing me."

"Yes," Watts hissed as he found his feet, wiping away the blood from his newly split lip. "Let's correct that, shall we?"

"You're welcome to try."

The doctor roared as he started to rush forward again, only to stumble as the tower floor shook beneath them, then did so again. The man scowled, "the devil is that?"

The ground shook again, more violently this time, then again, and again, till it fell into a regular pattern, increasing in intensity each time.

"Oz, do you…" Ironwood started.

"No idea, old friend." The headmaster apologized.

Watts looked around worriedly before stepping back and speaking into his watch.

"Alpha team, report." Silence met his call. "Alpha team, report!" He said again, louder, growling when he was met with nothing but static. "Useless animals!" He locked in on them again, eyes narrowing as he widened his stance to balance on the shaking floor. "Not that it matters, either way you still die. I will not be denied-" The man cut off as the shaking stopped, and the room was cast into darkness as something blocked out the moonlight coming through the windows. Three sets of eyes traveled over to the tower windows, where a giant gleaming eye, of something clearly bending down to do so, stared back.

Watts swallowed as the shadow disappeared and the light returned. "The hell is-"

"Down!" James cried and tackled Ozpin to the ground, just in time for a massive claw to smash through walls, taking most of the roof with it as it swept through the room and opening them up to the night sky. The two men stared up in awe at the creature that towered above them, looking down at the shattered structure in disdain before beating on its chest and howling to the moon, then slowly starting to fade away as it growled and hissed, obviously displeased with its demise. A moment later, and the beast was gone, leaving nothing but the destruction in its wake as proof of its existence.

"Winter?" Ironwood whispered.

Ozpin hummed. "If so, I think I want some teaching tips from you, old friend."

"Didn't get it from me."

"Perhaps they're outgrowing us." The headmaster offered.

"We can only hope." James agreed, turning over and grunting in frustration as he stared at the swath of blood where Watts had stood.

Ozpin laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "He's gone. He has to be."

The greying General sighed. "I've made that mistake before too."

* * *

Jaune gasped as his eyes snapped open to stare into the dark void of the starless night sky. His ears strained against the strange silence of the world, searching for the sounds of Grimm roars and gunfire as he struggled to push himself up on aching arms and find his teammates.

"Guys, we've got to-" He cut off when he felt a gentle but firm hand pushing him back down.

"Whoa there, Ladykiller. Down boy." A calming voice comfored.

"Yang?" He scowled in confusion as he let himself be lowered to the ground again. "Am I dreaming?"

She chuckled as she settled down beside him, resting her head against his shoulder. "One, that's sweet. Two, I hope my nose isn't broken in your dreams. Three, not anymore you're not."

"But the attack-"

"Ended hours ago."

He cursed. "How long have I been out?"

She hummed. "A few hours. We got here about an hour or so ago, after we got the base locked back down."

He hissed. "Why didn't anybody wake me up? I should've been-"

"Jaune, chill." She demanded. "The fighting ended with...whatever that thing was, running around through the camp." She tilted her head to look at him. "Hear we have you to thank for that by the way. Nobody was going to wake you up after that."

He sighed. "I just can't believe I slept through it."

"I can't either." He heard a voice call. He lifted his head up to see Winter laid out on her back, watching the two of them with one eye open, her head propped up on a makeshift pillow of Weiss' jacket, the young sister seated beside her. "We call that dereliction of duty around here."

Weiss snorted and shook her head. "Don't listen to her. She woke up about five minutes before you did."

"And we call that treason." The older Schee accused.

He laughed as he slowly began to sit up again, this time with help from a wary Yang. "It's almost like we did something tiring."

" _I_ summoned an army of Grimm. I'm not sure what your excuse is."

"Must just be lazy." He offered with a small smile.

"Must be." She agreed with one of her own.

He took a quick look around the ruined camp, scowling when he only spotted Ren, Nora, and the Beowolves. "Where's everybody?"

"Blake is with CFVY, watching over Adam." Yang said.

His eyes widened. "He's alive!?"

"Can't win'em all." Winter complained from her place on the ground.

Yang grinned and shook her head, tossing her mane around. "Yeah, we got'em."

"Wow." He whispered, before snapping back to reality. "What about everybody else? Is everyone-"

"They're fine." She comforted. "Everybody got pretty banged up, but they're ok. Qrow took a pretty good shot to the leg, but Ironwood and Oscar found him pretty fast after it all went down."

"And Ruby?"

She winced. "She's ok…"

His hand found hers. "What happened?"

She sighed. "She was the one took out Emerald."

"Oh." He said quietly.

"Yeah…" She squeezed his hand. "She's with Qrow. She's taking it pretty hard."

"You want to go see her?" He asked.

She bit her lip and nodded gratefully. "Yeah. You feeling up to it, babe?"

She smiled up at her. "Of course. You just might have to carry me a bit."

She smirked. "So, how is that different than any other day?"

He rolled his eyes as he shakily found his feet and leaned against her. "You're hilarious."

"I'm aware." She said as she wrapped an arm around him, holding him steady. They gave a half hearted wave to the group and spoke their goodbyes as they set off, slowly shuffling towards the remains of the base hospital. "You sure you're ok, babe?" She asked.

He sighed. "Yeah, just tired."

"I'll bet. You guys really went all out."

He hummed. "Not that kinda tired."

"Oh." She squeezed him to her gently. "What do you want to do?"

"Go home." He answered instinctively. He immediately regret it when he felt her tense up beside him.

"Oh...ok." She whispered after a minute. "I mean, I get it. It's been crazy out here-"

"Baby-"

"I know you've been through a lot-" she continued.

"Bright-Eyes-"

She ignored him again. "But we've all been through a lot. I just…" Her voice caught. "I just thought we were going to get through it togeth-"

"Yang!" He shouted, startling the blonde brawler out of her rambling. He sighed, "I want to go home with _you_."

She blinked. "What?"

He sighed again. "I left thing in a...bad way. I need to make it right before we set off again." He swallowed and took the plunge. "I want you to meet my family too. I _need_ you to meet them."

Her eyes widened, "Oh."

He coughed. "I mean, you don't have to if you-" He was cut off by her lips smashing into his, making his already shaky knees weak. He gasped for air when they finally separated, smiling at her. "Is that a yes?"

She laughed. "You're terribly with words, you know that?"

"You chose me."

She sighed and smiled. "Yeah, I did."

"Soooo…"

She snorted. "I'll go with you on one condition."

"Anything."

"You have to meet _my_ dad."

"Almost anything." He corrected.

"Too late," she teased. "You're a dead man walking."

He laughed. "Do I get a last request?"

She grinned as she pressed herself into him. "What did you have in mind?"

"Be mine?"

"Always." She promised, before humming. "Also, if my tent hasn't been destroyed, I have something in my locker you might like."

He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, what's that?"

"How do you feel about women in uniform?"

"Feeling pretty good about it right now."

She laughed as she planted a kiss on his cheek. "That's the spirit."

* * *

 **JJD: Whew, it's been a ride! Hope everyone enjoyed the finale and it's assorted violence. We'll be back soon (read: soon for Jiu) with the epilogue, wrapping up this chapter of the story. I've really enjoyed this story, even though it's been frustrating and challenging at times. It was a new genre with new hurdles. Most of all, I've loved writing the Jaune, Winter, Qrow, and Yang relationships. Building those characters has been a treat. Thank you all for sticking with me this far and appreciate all the feedback.**

 **As for what's next? Well, this Jaune and crew have one more chapter that we need to cover called 'Fighting Desperate' with a 'Writing Mean' Tai and Jaune intermission in there 'Fighting Fathers' (Yes, I find my naming conventions hilarious). I'm not sure if we'll jump right into that one or not. As Cr00cy will tell you, my eyes are bigger than my stomach. Other projects include:**

 **FF7 Crossover**

 **Topaz Story**

 **Original Work**

 **And a story based on Tai and Qrow raising Ruby and Yang**

 **So, you know, a few things.**


	23. Epilogue

**JJD: Well, Cr00cy, I guess it's time to head back to the drawing board.**

 **Cr00cy: Yeah, it's that time again.**

 **Epilogue**

 **Home**

* * *

 **W.S. Quote Book Says:** _Chase your dreams, but always know the road that will bring you home again_ _ **. -**_ **Anonymous**

 **W.S. Playlist Says:** _It's hard to do these things alone. Just hold on, we're going home_ **\- Hold On, We're Going Home - Drake**

* * *

Winter paced back and forth behind the thin black curtain separating her from the stage, trying desperately to ignore the sounds of the bustling crowd on the other side, and the weight of the announcement she was about to make, as she mentally reviewed her talking points. She closed her eyes and tried to focus.

 _Breathe. Just breathe._

"Ma'am?"

Her eyes popped open to see a mousy young woman with large glasses and short, brown hair standing in front of her.

"Yes, Lily?"

The small woman blinked, clearly surprised that she'd remembered her name, before continuing.

"They're almost ready for you, ma'am."

She let out a slow breath and nodded.

"Yeah, ok. Thanks, Lily."

"Ma'am?"

"Mm?"

The bespeckled woman blushed as her eyes found anywhere to be but on her.

"Do you…" She coughed. "Do you think that I could get your autograph?"

She blinked. "My autograph?"

"Nothing special!" Lily rushed out. "Just a quick scribble on any old scrap of paper if it's not too much!"

She shook her head. "Why do you want my autograph?"

Lily cocked her head to side and frowned. "Uh, because you're Winter Schnee. You're about to receive the Atlesian Cross."

Winter laughed. "I didn't realize that people followed that sort of thing. I figured this would be mostly a military and political affair."

"Oh." Lily's eyes slowly widened. "Oh."

"That's not a comforting noise, Lily."

"It's just...do you use the internet a lot?"

Winter shook her head. "Haven't really had the chance, been kind of busy since I got back. Something I should know?"

"You've become kind of a big deal, what with the battle being broadcast and all."

She raised a brow. "How big a deal?"

Lily bit her lip. "I both want to tell you to Schnee Search yourself and tell you to never Schnee Search yourself."

Her eyes widened. "Oh."

"Yeah..."

"Is it really that…"

"I've changed my mind. Don't do it."

Winter cursed, earning a giggle from Lily.

"But yeah, that's why I wanted your autograph." A small _ping_ came from the woman's Scroll and she sighed. "Well, too late now I guess. They're ready for you now, ma'am."

"Thanks, Lily." Winter said as she took step towards the curtain and reached out a out to grasp the cloth. "And Lily?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"If you still want that autograph after this, it's yours." The smile the squeal of delight behind her brought to her face somehow made the blinding flash of cameras and deafening murmur of the crowd of reporters when she stepped out onto the stage easier to bear.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Winter Schnee!" The tall and handsome Public Affairs officer announced from his place at the podium, sending the crowd into a flurry of applause before he stepped away and motioned for her to take his place. She quickly made her way over to the podium and did her best to hide behind it as much as possible, waiting for the storm of applause to die down and staring blankly at the assembly, made of of dozens of reporters from every publication imaginable. As silence overtook the crowd, she shifted nervously in place before clearing her throat and leaning into the microphone.

"Are there any questions?"

A hundred hands shot into the air. She sighed as she scanned the crowd, finally settling on a face that looked somewhat familiar to her and pointing to the purple haired woman.

"Miss?"

"Lisa Lavender, ma'am, Vale News Network."

She raised an eyebrow at that. "I wasn't aware Vale's news stations were still broadcasting."

"We're hard to put down, ma'am."

"Good for you." She said honestly.

Lisa nodded in acknowledgement. "Thank you, ma'am."

"Winter, please."

"Of course. Winter, being hard to put down is kind of what I wanted to ask you about today. Are you aware that you're about to become one of only three people to receive the Atlesian Cross while still living?"

"I'm a very lucky woman."

"With all due respect, ma'-Winter, the events of that day were broadcast to all of Atlas, and then the rest of Remnant. It certainly didn't look like luck."

Winter shook her head. "This was a team effort. Without the aid of every man and woman on that base fighting to hold to Grimm and White Fang back, we would have been lost."

"That maybe true," Lisa allowed, "but clearly your actions and those of the White Legion-"

Winter scowled. "White Legion?"

Lisa cocked her head to the side and glanced around the crowd to ensure her sanity before continuing. "Uh, your...ghost Grimm army?"

"Oh." Winter said, leaning back from the mic. "I didn't realize that they had a name."

Lisa leaned forward at that. "Are you aware that _you_ have a name? What they're calling you online, I mean."

Winter did her best to suppress a groan. "No."

"Would you like to know what it is?" The reporter asked excitedly.

She sighed. "Sure."

"It's the Hellspawn Huntress. They're calling you the second coming of the Grimm Reaper."

Winter scowled at that. "That's ridiculous, she's the greatest Huntsman to ever live."

Lisa shrugged. "I just report the news, ma'am."

"Winter."

"Winter." She agreed, "but in my humble opinion, you're on your way."

"Well, thank you, Lisa." She said. "Did anyone else have anything else?"

A sea of hands shot up again. She sighed and pointed to a middle aged man sitting in the third row.

"Tom White, Atlesian Times. What's next for you? Will you be returning to military service?"

Winter felt her grip tighten on the wood of the podium as she steeled herself to take the plunge. She cleared her throat and started.

"No, after discussing it with General Ironwood, I'll be taking a leave of absence from the military to pursue family matters."

Lisa bit her lip regretfully before raising her hand again and asking what the network required of her "Can you give us some insight into what those family matters might be?"

She braced and let the bomb drop. "I'm going to be taking back ownership of the SDC from my father, Jacques Schnee."

The crowd exploded into an uproar, reporters finding their feet and pressing forward towards the stage with microphones held out. She just leaned back and let it all wash over her. It was done. She had taken the plunge and now there was no turning back. The chaos continued until finally the Public Affairs officer grabbed the microphone from the podium and began shouting for people to take their seats. After several minutes, enough order had been restored for her to continue. She pointed again.

"Yes?"

The reporter popped to her feet with barely contained excitement. "Mary Gold, Atlas Daily. Ma'am-"

"Winter."

"Winter, that is a _very_ big announcement. Do you have any idea how you're going to tackle the beast that is the SDC?"

"Well, my lawyers will kill me if I talk about it too much," she said, earning a laugh from the crowd. "But my mother's struggle with alcohol has been no secret to the people of Atlas. In fact, she's thankfully in a rehab facility right now. Our home is no place for healing." She said sadly before continuing. "Some of you from outside the country may not know this, but in Atlas, the inheritance laws go straight from parent to blood related child. In this case, my mother."

Mary scowled. "But she signed over the rights to your father years ago."

Winter shook her head. "She was never in a condition where she could make that decision after the passing of my grandfather. We're arguing that the current owner of the SDC is, and has always been, Willow Schnee."

"But with her currently incapacitated…" The reporter's eyes widened.

"Yes, I am the current heir to the SDC."

The crowd exploded into incomprehensible shouting yet again as the Public Affairs officer lunged for the mic, trying in vain to restore order. It was only when she raised her hand that the crowd finally quieted down. She motioned to the Affairs officer, who nodded in thanks and began speaking into the mic again.

"Specialist Schnee, I'd like to request that we refrain from any more talk about private industry at this military ceremony."

"I agree." She said respectfully.

He let out a grateful sigh. "Then if there's nothing else, we can-"

"Actually, I did have one other thing." The look of betrayal he shot her made her feel bad enough that she mouthed, 'sorry' before shrugging. The man sighed a handed her back the microphone. "Thank you." She said before turning to address the crowd again. "Before I go, there's been a lot of discussion about my actions at the battle, but I'd be remiss if I didn't recognize someone that was every bit as important to our victory that day as I was." She let the murmur roll over the crowd before she continued. "Jaune Arc, former student of Beacon and current Huntsman of Vale. Without his actions that day, our base, and quite possibly the entire border of Atlas, would have been lost." She smiled as she motioned to Lisa. "The news isn't the only thing from Vale that's hard to put down. Look him up when you get the chance."

The reporter was already scribbling furiously in her notebook. "Don't worry, ma'am, I will."

"Winter." She corrected one last time before stepping back from the podium and nodding to the other side of the stage, where a grinning Ironwood stepped out from onto the platform, shaking his head slowly and chuckling as he pulled a gleaming silver medal from its case.

* * *

Winter almost collapsed from relief when she finally got to disappear behind the curtain again, slumping against the wall as she stared dumbly at the large medal clutched tightly in her right hand.

"That thing is shiny." A teasing voice stirred her from her thoughts. She glanced up to spot a smirking Coco Adel walking towards her.

"I thought so." She replied with a smile.

"You don't look too psyched about it."

She hummed. "Still feels kind of surreal I guess, like it's not really mine."

"I'll take it off your hands." The fashionista offered. "I've got a beret that it'll go perfectly with."

"Yeah, I think I'll be ok."

"Greedy." The younger girl teased. "You're already aiming for the biggest company on the Remnant, what do you need a medal for?"

"Guess I'm just selfish that way." Winter sighed. "Which is the reason why I brought you out here."

Coco grinned as she looked at her over her glasses. "Finally decide to take me up on that date?"

She rolled her eyes. "No, thank you. I want to hire you, rich and selfish people need private security after all."

Coco snorted. "One, I'm pretty sure you can look after yourself. Two, last time I checked, you're not rich yet. Someone still has a legal battle to win."

"One, you would probably be playing more offense than defense. I'm pretty aggressive about security."

"Ooh, mama likes."

"And two, I'm good for it."

Coco laughed at that before leaning in. "And what if I say I want a downpayment?"

Winter shrugged. "Then I guess we're both out of luck."

Coco threw her head back and groaned. "Fine! But you gotta tell me something then."

"What do you want to know?"

The young Huntress cocked her head to the side. "Why the thing at the end with the noodle boy? That was your moment."

Winter smiled. "Because he once told me that he wanted to be a player and not piece. Now we both are."

Coco shook her head. "You know he's going to hate it, right? Vale is desperate for a hero right about now. They're going to hunt that kid down."

"Oh, I'm sure. That's part of the plan too." She said with an evil grin.

"You're an evil woman."

"Haven't you heard? Apparently I'm the 'Hellspawn Huntress,' Winter teased. "And in my defense, he did shoot me."

* * *

A small man in a long, white lab coat leaned over a control panel arrayed with glowing and flickering lights and displays, flicking them on and off as he stroked his white beard nervously and glanced up at the muscular man strapped to his operating table.

"Tell me, my boy, can you feel anything yet? Anything uncomfortable?"

"No, doc, I'm all good."

"Good, that's good." The doctor said, voice thick with relief. "That means that the ARES implants are working just fine."

"Never had a doubt." The muscular man replied with a smile.

The old man chuckled. "Well, that makes one of us. I haven't worked with this stuff since…" He swallowed, "well, since Penny was born."

The man on the table frowned. "I'm sorry about your little girl, doc. That's hard."

The man smiled fondly. "Yes, she was special. I think you two would have gotten along swimmingly." He shook his head to clear it of the painful memories. "But you, my boy, you're special too. Do you know how few people are both paralyzed and have Aura? Not many I assure you."

"Guess I'm just lucky that way." The man on the table replied bitterly.

The doctor winced. "Yes, well, you're not out of the woods yet I'm afraid. I must warn you again of the dangers of this procedure. There is little to no test data for any of this. The science behind the implants in your spine is solid, but it could just as easily-"

"Doc?" The man cut in.

The older man blinked. "Yes?"

"This could let me walk again, right?"

"It _might_ , my boy."

"And you believe in the sciency stuff?"

The old man sighed. "I do."

"Then flip that switch." The man demanded.

"Very well, my boy." Doctor Polendina whispered as he reached out and flipped the final set of switches and a surge of Dust provided power surged into the operating table and the man connected to it. He wasn't sure exactly what he expected, sparks, screams, perhaps even lightning, but none of the happened. The only visual representation of the procedure was the glow of the table slowly fading away without any fanfare. He sighed and prepared to comfort his patient.

"How do you feel, my boy?" He asked hesitantly.

The large man remained silent as he sat up on the table and shifted himself so that his legs were dangling off the edge. The doctor rushed forward to catch him, but the man held up a hand and waved him off. The giant closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then pushed off the table. When he opened them again, it was to legs holding up under his weight, shaking and buckling for sure, but holding nonetheless. He looked down at his feet, then back up at the doctor, eyes filled with disbelief and tears. He started laughing and crying as he took one shaky step, then another, and then another before stumbling and falling to the floor in a heap.

"Son, are you alright!?" Doctor Pelendina shouted as he rushed to his side, only to be gently pushed away as the man pushed himself back up to his knees.

"Alright?" Stevens asked with a grin, despite the tears running down his face. "Doc, I'm goddamn combat ready."

* * *

His hand hovered over the door for what felt like the hundredth time, curling into a fist and then falling limply back to his side.

He sighed when he felt Yang's warm hand start to rub circles in his back.

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

"You're good, Ladykiller, take all the time you need." She comforted. "Though, if you wait much longer, someone might do it for us."

"Yeah, that'd be awkward," he shot her a small smile before looking at the door again. That stupid, taunting piece of wood and iron that guarded some of what he held most dear in this world. And some of what he most feared.

"You want me to do it for you?" She offered. "Would that help?"

"It would." He admitted, then held an arm out to gently bar her path when she started to step forward. "But I've got to do this myself. It's…a thing I think."

She nodded and stepped back, the corners of her mouth twitched upwards in a smile. "Ok, babe."

"I know it's weird."

"I didn't say anything."

"But you're thinking it." He accused.

"It's a very scary door." She teased.

He rolled his eyes and bumped her with his hip. "Why aren't you more nervous?"

"Oh, I'm terrified." She admitted.

He shook his head. "You look so calm!"

"Look, babe, not am. I am about to meet up to _nine_ members of your family, most of which are female. So yeah, you take your time with that door." She shot back.

"My sisters probably aren't all here," he muttered, "Probably only like five or six."

"Gee, what a reasonable number it's been reduced to." She deadpanned.

"We can leave." He offered.

"Jaune Arc, if you step away from that door after dragging me on three separate Bullhead rides with you, two of which were very messy, I cannot be held responsible for what happens to you."

"I'm not saying we leave!" He defended. "Just maybe that we go into town for a bit and regroup. You like Mistralean food, don't you? I know a-"

"Jaune." She cut him off.

"Yeah?"

"I know it's scary. I know they're probably going to be a little upset-"

"I think we can take the 'probably' and 'little' out of there."

She ignored him. "But you need to do this." She reached out and took his hand in hers. "I'll be here for you the whole time."

He squeezed her hand and smiled. "You're too good for me, you know that?"

"A fact that my father is sure to remind you of."

He groaned and ran a hand down his face. "We still have to do that after this, don't we?"

"Yep." She said, popping the 'P.' "Feeling any better about hanging out here for a while?"

"Is it weird if I say yes?"

"Only in that it means that you've started developing some survival instincts."

"I do enjoy life." He sighed, raising his hand up again and holding just above the door. He felt Yang squeeze his other hand once more and steeled himself. He knocked.

They sat in silence for a moment, staring at the wooden barrier and waiting for something, anything, to happen.

"Did you seriously just knock once?" Yang accused in a whisper. "Who does that?"

"Oh, are there door knocking rules now?" He shot back.

"Yes!"

He scoffed. "Where did you learn those, charm school?"

"You learn them by being a human!"

"I'm trying!" He said, his voice rising. "This is kind of a big deal for-"

"Hello?" A voice called from inside the house, silencing them both. "Is someone there?"

They listened to the sounds of footsteps creaking around on wooden floors for a moment before Yang elbowed him in the side, knocking him out of his trance. He shot a glance over to her and she jerked her head meaningfully towards the door. He swallowed and nodded.

"It's me, mom." He said to the door, his voice being both quieter and higher than he would have liked. When all sound ceased on the other side of the door, he cleared his throat and was about to call again before the sounds of feet _thundering_ towards the door stopped him short. He pulled Yang a little bit closer for comfort and braced himself.

Victoria Arc practically ripped the door off its hinges when she reached it, pulling it back to reveal a woman that was both beautiful for her age and whose eyes looked like they could barely believe what they were seeing.

"Hi, mom." He said, smiling weakly.

"Jaune!" She cried, lunging forward and wrapping him in a fierce hug, tears already starting to stream down her cheeks. "Oh, thank the gods! We were so worried when we got you letter!"

The blond boy winced. "It was supposed to make you worry less."

His mother scoffed as she pushed him out to arm's length. "By telling us that you were in a warzone!?"

"That I was safe in a warzone!"

"It didn't look very safe on the news!"

"Oh, right." He mumbled, remembering Watts' broadcast.

"'Oh right,' is right, young man. You are your father's son." The older woman muttered. "Neither of you have any sense. You wait until your sisters get ahold of you, you might not be out a warzone yet."

Yang coughed beside him, weakly waving at the Arc matron. "Um, hi."

Mrs. Arc gasped as she seemingly noticed the girl for the first time. "Oh gods, Jaune! Is this her? She's beautiful!" She wrapped Yang in a hug without waiting for a reply. "Yang, wasn't it, dear?"

"Yes, ma'am." The younger girl squeaked, arms pinned to her side.

Victoria tsked as she let her go. "There's no need for that, dearie. Call me Vicky."

"Yes, ma'a- Vicky." The brawler quickly corrected when the older woman shot her a look.

Mrs. Arc nodded her approval, then sighed apologetically. "I'm sorry for what I'm about to have to do, dear, but it's been too long already."

"Wait, what does-"

"Girls!" Victoria shouted into the house behind her. "Jaune is home!"

Yang leaned over a whispered. "How bad is this about to be?"

"I'm really sorry." He said as a stampede of footfalls and girlish voices started to echo through the halls of the home, quickly approaching the door.

"Shit."

Mrs. Arc stepped out of the way as they reached a pitch and let the stream of a blonde humanity pour through the door and swarm her son. Yang, wisely, chose to step back and let the siblings have their moment. Their very loud moment. No less than seven blonde girls slammed into and circled around their brother, peppering him with insults, love, and questions in equal measure.

"You jerk!"

"It's so good to see you!"

"Where have you been?"

"Looking good, bro!"

"Did your thumbs break? Can you not text?"

"I'm so glad you're safe."

"Ok, ok." The knight laughed, slowly peeling his sisters off him. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'll make it up to you, but I need air!"

"Seem to have plenty in your head." One of the older ones with shoulder length hair shot back.

"Gee, thanks, Crystal." He said with a smile.

"Hey, someone has to keep you in check what with you being a big time Huntsman and all."

"Define 'big time.'"

"You seem to be doing alright for yourself." She said with a nod towards Yang. "You going to introduce us, or just be super rude?"

He shook his head and held a hand out towards Yang. "Girls, this is Yang, my girlfriend."

Yang waved at the pack of blondes. "Hi."

He squeezed her hand and motioned back towards his sisters. "Ok, where to start?"

Crystal tsked. "Me, obviously."

He smirked. "You're right, age before beauty. We'll go from oldest to youngest."

"Asshole."

He shook his head and laughed. "Yang, this is Crystal, my oldest sister and pain in my ass."

"Watch it."

He ignored the threat. "Up next is Cere, my favorite."

"Charmed." The long-haired blonde said with a curtsy.

"Then we get to my younger sisters." He continued gesturing towards a girl about Ruby's age sporting a pixie cut. "Rubin is our resident 'bad kid.'"

She tsked. "Yeah, I was before you ran off with the family heirlooms. How am I supposed to top that?"

He rolled his eyes as Yang snickered. "I'm sure you'll find a way, you little hellion."

"Love you too, bro."

He reached out and ruffled her hair, earning a yelp and playful curse from the girl before nodding towards a pair of pre-teens dressed in matching shorts and t-shirts. "You've got Violet and Lavender, the twins."

"Hey."

"Nice to meet you."

"They're adorable." Yang whispered in his ear.

"Give it time." He advised, sticking his tongue out playfully at the ensuing huffs. "And finally, the babies, Vivi and Sapphire."

"Hello." A small girl around seven or eight squeaked out as another, maybe five at the oldest, peeked out from behind her.

Yang cooed. "Jaune, I'm dying. They're like mini gender-bent yous! Except they're cute!"

"Hey!" He cried indignantly as the women burst into laughter. The knight let out a rejected sigh and slumped his shoulders. "Great, now there's more of you."

"Yeah, about that." Rubin said, eyeing Yang. "How do you feel about being an obvious sister complex?"

"Meh," Yang shrugged. "I'd judge, but we're going to meet my dad after this and that'd make things a little awkward."

"Really looking forward to that by the way." He grumbled, turning to his mother nervously. "Speaking of which is dad-"

"Home?" A voice called from beyond the wall of blonde women, who parted to reveal a middle-aged man with thickly muscled arms and broad shoulders, his golden beard flecked with grey staring up at them from his wheelchair with piercing blue eyes. "I am. Hello, Jaune." He greeted coldly.

"Hi dad." Jaune answered back, shifting uncomfortably in place. Yang immediately felt the mood shift, with the women of Arc family tensely watching the two men stare each other down. She reached out and grabbed Jaune's hand again, giving it a small squeeze of support. The older man was the one to finally break the trance, grunting and wheeling his chair back from the door.

"Well, you going to stand there in the door all day, or are you going to come inside?" He asked as he began wheeling himself down the hardwood floor of the hallway, ignoring her completely and calling over his shoulder. "Your mother has dinner going. You being here means I don't have to set the table for once."

"Arthur!" Victoria Arc shouted after him, exasperated, before shaking her head and reaching out to place a comforting hand on Jaune's shoulder. "He's excited, dear, really he is." She bit her lip. "He's just-"

"I know, mom." Jaune replied, eyes finding the floor.

Yang looked between the two, searching for more information on their faces. Finally, she mentally shrugged and tried the direct approach. "Yeah, well I don't."

Mrs. Arc winced. "Arthur and Jaune have just never…seen eye to eye on being a Huntsman."

"So that's why he's being an-"

"Yang, don't." He warned, before looking at her pleadingly and adding, "please."

She tsked and looked away. "Fine."

Crystal whistled. "This'll be a fun dinner."

"Don't add fuel to the fire! All of you inside!" Victoria chastised, pushing the sea of blond girls back into the house before looking back to Yang. "Thank you for looking after Jaune, that means more than you know, but please, give Arthur a chance to warm up. He's been worried sick about Jaune for ages, he just doesn't know how to show it."

Jaune perked up at that. "Really?"

His mother rolled her eyes. "That old fool keeps your letter on our nightstand. Reads it when he thinks I'm not looking."

She could feel the relief pouring off Jaune before they heard Arthur call from deeper in the home. "Honey! Did you want the red or the white wine? I forget which goes with the pasta."

She sighed and yelled back. "I've told you dozen times!"

"And I've forgotten a dozen and one! Now tell me which one you want or I'm just mixing them together!"

"Arthur, don't you-" She cut off with a shake of her head and looked sympathetically at Yang. "Arc men are fools, I hope you're ready for that. This is your last chance to flee if not."

Yang smiled back and pulled Jaune a little closer. "I think I've got this."

The matron smiled warmly at the two and jerked her head towards the entrance of the home. "Then come on in."

The older woman led them through the halls of her home. Yang spotted battered wooden floors that were covered with mismatched rugs, which in turn had mismatch and broken in furniture resting on them. Knick knacks and pictures covered almost every inch of the wall, celebrating everything from family picnics to little league games and spelling bees. In fact, the entire house seemed like shrine to their children, with every conceivable life event being captured and framed. Some of which she made mental notes to tease Jaune about later. As they neared the kitchen, and the delicious smell of a home cooked meal filled her senses, she started to relax. This wasn't so different from her own home back in Patch. One thing did stick out to her as they walked through the halls however.

There was no Hunter memorabilia anywhere.

Nothing to commemorate the long and illustrious career that Jaune had told her about on a dozen nights. No weapons hanging from the walls or pictures of Beacon. Simply…nothing.

She pushed the thought to the back of her mind as they took their seats at the dinner table and things began to settle into a comfortable rhythm. The Arc sisters were busy making up for over a year of missed prodding and teasing, clearly thrilled to have their brother back as he tried, and failed, to give as good as he got. Meanwhile, Mama Arc was busy trying to, politely, interrogate her.

'Where are you from? What do your parents do? How'd you meet Jaune? How do you feel about kids?'

That last one probably could have been subtler.

Only one remained silent at the head of the table, as Arthur Arc quietly ate, eyes watching the scene unfold before him. When he'd finally finished his meal, he set his utensils down and cleared his throat, silencing the table.

"So, uh, your letter said that you were attached to Atlesian forces." He started slowly.

"Yes, sir." Jaune snapped out.

His father nodded. "That's good. They're good troops."

A silence overtook the table again until Victoria coughed and glared at her husband, looking meaningfully between him and his son. He sighed and started again.

"That's an Atlesian pistol you're wearing, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir. I got it when I was with the Beowolves."

"Was that you unit then?" He waited for Jaune to nod before continuing. "You know, I was attached to the Nevermores once."

Jaune sat up a little at that. "Really? When?"

His father leaned back in his chair and hummed. "Long time ago, at least twenty years or so, well before you were born. We were hunting down a pack of Beowolves plaguing one of the smaller towns after the revolution."

"What happened?"

"They didn't make it." He answered flatly.

"Oh." Jaune said quietly as he sank back down into his chair.

Arthur winced and hurriedly continued. "That's where I recognize the pistol from, it's an old model."

Jaune nodded. "It belongs to a friend. I'm holding onto it for him. It's kind of a family heirloom."

"Collecting them now, are we?"

Jaune winced as his eyes found the table cloth. "Yeah, guess so."

Yang almost jumped in then and there, save for the silent conversation that was clearly happening between husband and wife at the end of the table. Arthur Arc ran a tired hand down his face and nodded.

"I also saw that you've made some modifications to Crocea Mors." Jaune opened his mouth to respond and his father held up a hand. "No, it's alright. You certainly wouldn't be the first to re-forge it. Whatever works best for you." Jaune was able to relax for a moment before the follow up question hit. "Is that Mistralian steel? I'm surprised they let you have any with how they treat their weapons."

She watched as Jaune froze in place and reached a hand under the table to rest on his knee. He gave her a silent look of thanks before swallowing and answering.

"It is. I-" He winced again. "I promised it to Pyrrha's, my partner's, family after I was done. They're going to add it to their gardens."

All eyes found Arthur Arc, working his hands open and closed into fists as he digested the proclamation. "That weapon has been in our family for generations." He said after what felt like an eternity.

"I know." Jaune said softly.

The range of emotions that played across his father's face was complicated to say the least, and at least three separate times he started to speak before closing his mouth once more. Finally, he nodded once a spoke a single word. "Good."

Jaune's head popped back up as his eyes widened in confusion. "Good?"

"Yes, good." Arthur grunted, "let this be the end of it. You've had you adventure, you've seen the world. Be done with the blade and return home. There's plenty of land to build on, we can-"

"Dad…" Jaune started slowly. "I can't."

"Yes, you can!" He roared, slamming his fist down on the table and causing everyone to jump. "You will! I know that look in your eye. I knew it from the moment you walked up to our door. You lost people out there and you'll lose more. You're staying here!"

"That's exactly why I can't!" Jaune argued back. "People are dying out there, dad!"

"And you won't be one of them!" Arthur bellowed.

"I won't abandon my friends!"

"But you will abandon your family?"

"Arthur!" Victoria shouted as her husband shook his head.

"No, Victoria, he needs to hear this! Maybe now he'll finally listen!"

"No, I'm done with this conversation." Jaune declared as he found his feet. "Yang, let's-"

His father scoffed. "Sit back down, you're not going anywhere."

"Yes, I am." Jaune said as he stared his father down.

Arthur met his gaze without flinching. "Do you feel big now, son? Staring down at your old man?"

"I'm not doing this to feel big, to feel special, not anymore." Jaune growled back.

"That's certainly why you left in the first place."

"I left because I wanted to be like you!" Jaune shot back.

"Fucking look at me, Jaune! Do I look like I want you to be like me!?" His father cried, pushing back from the table. "Do you know why I'm like this?"

"Because you were a her-"

"Bullshit! Don't you say that word in my house! It's because I wanted to be like my father. Do you know why you never met your grandfather, Jaune? It's because he wanted to be like his father and ran off on the first crusade that they threw down in front of him. And you never met your great grandfather because he drank himself to death when he found out his son died trying to be him!" He shook his head violently, like he was trying to escape the memories that came with the statement. "And I was still too much a fool to listen to him. Jaune, this fucking legacy has destroyed our family." He gestured towards the rest of the Arc family at the table. "This is our legacy! This is what matters!"

"They're why I'm doing it!" Jaune roared back. "You think I don't get it? You think that I want to this? I have to do this, dad."

His father shook his head again. "There are others-"

"There are," Jaune agreed, 'but I can't leave them to try to hold the line against what's coming next on their own. Not if there's a chance that me being there might mean that they make it back home…or that what's coming doesn't make it to my home."

"Please, don't do this." His father pleaded.

It was Jaune's turn to shake his head. "You were right about what you said earlier, when I left here the first time, I didn't get it. I thought you were just bitter about what happened to you." He chuckled darkly. "But now I do get it, and I still have to go. I'm sorry."

"Please don't make me bury my son." Arthur Arc whispered as he bowed his head. "I can't."

Jaune pushed his chair out of the way and made his way around the table, leaning down to pulling his father into a tight embrace. "I'm coming home."

His father let out something between a sob and a snort. "You think you're the first man to say those words? You can't know you'll keep that promise."

"I know, dad…"

"But you're still leaving." The older man finished.

"Yeah." Jaune answered softly.

After awhile, Arthur Arc sniffled as he raised his head. "Jaune?"

"Yeah, dad?"

"Do you remember the words?"

Yang watch as Jaune shot up like he'd been shocked, eyes wide. "You mean the words to-"

"-the family oath, yes." His father smiled sadly, "I figured you would. You always wanted to say them."

"Dad, that's the warrior's oath." The knight whispered reverently.

"Yes, do think you're ready to take it?" The older man asked seriously.

Jaune stared at his father long and hard before answering.

"Yes."

Arthur nodded and turned to his wife. "Dear, this is supposed to be between father and son, and I'm sorry to ask, but could you please…"

"Of course." She said softly, reaching out and taking his hand. "Just tell me what you need."

"Nothing but the three of us."

"The four of us." Yang challenged as she found her feet.

The Arc patriarch considered her for a moment before nodding. "The four of us then. We're going to need to go down stairs." He looked apologetically to his daughters. "I'm sorry girls, but-"

"It's ok, daddy." Crystal comforted. "We understand."

He nodded in thanks as his wife took hold of his chair and began pushing him back into the hallway, taking a left instead of right towards the front door and heading deeper into house. Jaune reached out and gently took her hand in his, leading her after his parents. They soon reached a plain, white door that Victoria pulled open to reveal a dusty set of wooden steps leading down into darkness. With Jaune's help, she helped her husband out his chair, and with an arm draped around each, they began to carry him down the stairs. Yang followed silent after, listening to the steady creak of the stairs till they reached the bottom and Jaune reached out flipped a switch on the wall. As the lights slowly flickered to life, she immediately realized why they come down here. The floor was bare concrete, but the walls? The walls were stacked to the ceiling with generations worth of Hunter legacy. Weapons, armor, trophies, and medals laid out, unorganized and uncared for. They came in every shape and size she could imagine, obviously too hurtful to look at anymore, but too important to discard. Arthur grunted as released Jaune and pointed to a place on the floor in the center of room.

"Kneel."

Jaune nodded as he made sure his mother had a firm hold of the large man and then walked over and knelt as asked.

"You may stand behind him." Arthur advised her. "But please, give us some room."

She hummed in agreement as she circled around and stood a few paces behind Jaune. Victoria helped her husband shuffle forward till he loomed over his son.

"I will give you the same version of the oath that my grandfather gave me, drunk and dressed in his uniform from the Great War." He said. "Are you ready?"

"Yes." Jaune answered softly.

His father nodded. "Then begin."

She watched as Jaune straightened and started without hesitating. He must have practiced the words a thousand times.

"I am heir to a legacy of honor."

She wasn't sure who was more surprised at the _crack_ that filled the air as Arthur Arc delivered a brutal backhand to his son's cheek, her or Jaune, but it certainly wasn't Victoria. The woman stared her down with an intensity belying her motherly demeanor and mouthed, 'no.' She looked down and saw that she'd crossed half the distance between them. She hadn't even remembered moving.

"You are heir to a legacy of bloodshed and violence." His father roared. She watched as Jaune blinked in shock for a moment, before swallowing and starting again.

"I will uphold the house's tradition of service to the realm."

Another _crack_ filled the air as Arthur struck his son again.

"You'll uphold the house's tradition of chasing fame and glory above hearth and home."

"I will stand tall in the face of darkness."

 _Crack!_

"You'll kneel for any lord that whispers sweet nothings in your ear."

Jaune's whole frame shifted with the force of the blow, and she felt her fingernails dig into her palms as he righted himself again.

"I will be the shield of the weak and the blade of the just."

 _Crack!_

"Then your shield will rust from lack of use and your blade from the blood of those that were considered 'just' yesterday."

Her heart ached as she saw the small trickle of blood leaking from the corner of Jaune's mouth. Still, he was unperturbed.

"Through my deeds, I will make my family proud."

 _Crack!_

"Your deeds will lead to your death, forgotten on a tombstone as you bring your family naught but tears."

Her stomach lurched when Jaune stumbled, only just catching himself and shaking his head once to clear it.

"These things I solemnly swear on my name as an Arc."

 _Crack!_

"You will swear nothing to me as an Arc, cursed be their name. You will swear to me by the name given to you by your father. You will swear to me that you will break every promise you have ever made, so long as it brings you home to your family."

Jaune's eyes flicked over to Yang before settling on his father once more, full of resolve.

"All but one."

His father grinned for the first time, chuckling as he shook his head. "You're stubborn and a fool. You really are my son. Do you swear this to me?"

"I swear."

"Then rise, and be known not as an Arc, but as Jaune, son of Arthur and Victoria, brother to seven sisters." The older man's gaze drifted over to Yang. "Man that this woman has chosen to love. Be nothing more and nothing less."

Jaune got about halfway through standing before his father pushed away from his wife, leaning towards his son and collapsing in the process. Jaune hastily caught the man and slowly steadied him as he felt a still strong pair of arms wrap around him and his father's head rest on his shoulder. He felt the older man's voice whisper in his ear.

"I'm so goddamn proud of you, son."

"I know, dad."

He didn't bother to try to hold back the tears that burned hot streaks down his cheeks, nor from the wetness he felt running down his neck, did his father.

After all, they had made no such promises.

* * *

The next morning was a much calmer, if equally emotional, affair, with the Arc sister each taking their time hugging and harassing him in equal measure. He wiped away tears, kissed foreheads, gave and received noogies. Each goodbye was special, as unique as girl that had given it. When they'd finally finished, they stepped back, giving their mother and father room. Arthur Arc smiled fondly up at son.

"You're lucky we're as handsome as we are dumb." The older man said with a nod towards Yang. "Don't know how we'd make out otherwise."

The knight chuckled in response. "Think it's some kind of evolutionary trick? Keep those Arc genes going?"

His father shrugged. "As good a guess as I've ever heard." He looked to Yang. "And thank you for taking care of my son, he means the world to us."

"Also, thank you for tolerating our son." Victoria cut in. "I know how hard that can be-"

"Hey!"

"-But he's worth it. I swear."

Yang laughed as she bumped him with her hip. "Guess I'll just have to find out for myself, huh?"

"That a girl." The older woman encouraged before looking to her husband. "Dear, would you like to show Yang your rose garden? I hear her father is something of a gardener himself."

The man's eyes lit up immediately. "Is he? Tell me, does he buy the soil or uses what he has around the house? Some people use Dust infused soil, but I say that's cheating. Personally, I…" Victoria shook her head as they watched the man ramble on as he rolled towards the garden, an overwhelmed Yang in tow.

"Your father is ridiculous."

"You married him."

She sighed. "So I did."

"Hope you're not having second thoughts. That'd be a hell of a custody battle." He teased.

She snorted. "No, your father is the only fool for me. I have been thinking about something though. Kept me up most of the night."

He sighed. "Mom, I'm going to be fin-"

He was cut short when she pressed something into his palm.

"I know you will be, dear."

His eyes widened when he took the object in.

"Mom, I don't know-"

"Yes, but I won't be there when you _do_ know." She smiled kindly at him. "Don't worry about making any decisions now."

He shook his head. "But how will I know?"

She shrugged. "You'll figure it out."

"You're a tome of wisdom, mom."

She laughed as she closed his hand around the object. "Here, I'll help you start. What do you think about when you close your eyes at night?"

He blinked in realization. "Oh."

"'Oh' indeed, dear."

"Is that all there is?"

She huffed. "What do I look like, a fortune cookie? Go live your life, Jaune. You'll figure out what you want there." She peered over his shoulder and snickered. "In the meantime, go save your girlfriend from your father, I'm pretty sure he's talking about PH levels now."

He groaned as he turned and started to jog down the path towards the garden, his pocket and his heart somehow seeming both heavier and lighter than before.

* * *

Watts felt a very unfamiliar, and very unwelcome, feeling rise up in his chest as he stood in front of the door to his Queen's conference room. She could feel him standing there, he knew that. Hell, she could feel everything in the Grimmlands, perhaps even beyond. And so, he pushed down the fear that gripped his heart and pushed the door open, his new mechanical arm clicking as it did so, a reminder of his failures.

There she stood, at the far end of the long, black room, staring out a giant window at the barren and horror filling landscape of the Grimmlands. He cleared his throat.

"Ma'am, you asked-"

"How is the arm, Watts?" She asked without turning around.

He sighed as flexed his right arm, listening to the gentle whir of machinery there. "It's good, ma'am. Thank you for your concern."

"I could have replaced it for you. Could have made it better, stronger than that hunk of iron strapped to you now." She finally turned to face him. "Perhaps it's because you don't trust me?" She offered dangerously.

"No!" He blurted out in a rush. "Never, my Queen! I-I...I just felt the need to correct my own mistake! As a reminder of my failure!"

"I see." She said softly as she started to cross the distance between them, taking long, slow strides as her eyes remained locked on him. "So, you would keep something around that is less efficient?"

"I-" He coughed as he felt the first beads of sweat start trickle down his scalp. "Well, yes."

She hummed as she reached him, cocking her head to the side. "That doesn't sound very scientific, doctor. That sounds...sentimental." He tried, and failed, not to shake when he felt her hand reach up to caress his cheek gently. "Are you a sentimental man, doctor?"

"No." He whispered as he closed his eyes and whimpered when her hand started working its way through his hair.

"And do you believe I'm a sentimental woman?" She asked softly.

"Please." He begged as he felt his knees start to buckle.

"Please what, my dear Watts? I'm not sure what you're asking."

"Please forgive me!" He cried as he fell to his knees. "I swear to you with everything that I am, I will not fail you a second time! I-"

"Silence." She commanded as she placed a finger on his lips. "You've already sworn everything you are to me. I own you, body and soul. It is my choice whether or not to discard both." She stared down into his terror filled eyes for a moment before sighing and turning away, leaving him to fall forward onto his hands. "Still, I suppose that I too share some of the blame for this." She said tiredly. "After all, I've been the one entertaining Ozpin's game of shadows and puppets for far too long." She hummed. "Perhaps I am sentimental."

"W-what." He swallowed. "What would you have me do, my Queen."

"Gather your experiments and grotesqueries, my good doctor. Produce as many as you can as quickly as you can."

He winced. "My Queen, the resources that they'll require to sustain don't exist in the Grimmlands."

"Then it's a good thing that they won't be staying here, isn't it?"

His eyes widened. "You mean…"

"Yes. I'm done being quiet." She said as she stared out of the window at the Grimmlands, and what lay beyond them, once more. "It's time to be heard."

* * *

 **JJD: Man, Cr00cy...what did we even end up writing here with this weird ass story?**

 **Fighting Smart is a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Thoughts on service, sacrifice, faith, fear, and a love of rap. It's a strange concoction that I hope resonates with somebody. On a writing note, there were a few things that I wanted to try to hit when we set out:**

 _ **Winter: AKA Best Girl.**_ **I really wanted to try to deep dive into her character like we did with Qrow in Fighting Mean. She's clearly an important figure to Weiss and Atlas, but we know so little about her. So, I took the context clues - serves directly under Ironwood, young and talented officer, anger issues, good sister, and walked away from her father, who is one of the most powerful men in Remnant. What I came to? Winter is a bad bitch. Also, she likes to jam...because I said so? I love Winter like I love Qrow.**

 _ **Jaune and Yang growing separately and together:**_ **Jaune slowly, and painfully, growing into the man that he's going to be is really kind of the theme of the series. He's always been a man filled with doubt, fear, and promise. Trying to write him overcoming that fear and doubt in a realistic manner to achieve that promise is the key. Did it work? Who knows.**

 **Here's the thing with Smart though. Not only do Jaune's emotional struggles directly affect someone else now, Yang, but hers also directly affect him. To me, writing a relationship and being in a relationship are different than writing someone falling in love and falling in love yourself in that the former is always much harder than the latter. Relationships are work and a partnership.**

 _ **Adam and the Fang**_ **: It's always bothered me that the Fang has been treated as fanatics until very recently on the show. They're supposed to be a reaction to the conditions that they've been subjected to, to include a race war in living memory in the Faunus War. There should really be MORE violence. Adam is a product of that violence, and I just never think it's covered properly in the show. 'Atlesian Promises' (which ironically came out just before his character short) was my take on it.**

 _ **The men and women of Remnant:**_ **As cool as Hunters and Huntresses are, they make up a small portion of the population of Remnant. There's a huge number of people that have to learn to fight or live with the Grimm without the gift of Aura. I can't imagine trying to face down a horde of charging armored grizzly bears with just a rifle, but there's people this world that do, because they care about their homes. Hence the Beowolves and the Atlesian military having their time in the sun during the story.**

 **Anywho, I know it's some weird shit. I just hope it's some weird shit you enjoyed. I'll probably go dark for a bit. Cr00cy has a story that I want to support (hinted in this chapter!), so be on the lookout for that!**

 **PS: Saphron is missing from the Arc sisters, I'm aware. It's not because I hate her. Cr00cy came up with Arc sister names way back in The Profession Arc and I dutifully stole them, so Crystal is here to stay. In fact, if you look between our stories, you may notice some familiar faces pop up now and again. Maybe a certain redhead or military squad.**


End file.
